S&Ds: We need more checks and balances on work of the European Commission
Date
22 Jan 2019
Sections
Justice & Home Affairs
The European Parliament constitutional affairs committee today voted on a report calling for more checks and balances on the work of the European Commission, including greater scrutiny of how they appoint senior posts. The report will now be voted at the Parliament’s plenary session next month.
S&D Group spokesperson for constitutional affairs and author of the report Mercedes Bresso said:
“The report also calls for the Commission to take more serious account of legislative initiatives launched by the European Parliament. The Parliament is the direct link with European citizens and it is essential that proposals put forward there become legislation. We have also shown our unwavering support for the Spitzenkandidaten process, so all European citizens have a direct say in the choice of the President of the Commission.
“We need to have appropriate checks and balances to ensure that the Commission can be held accountable in case of wrongdoing. We are calling for the threshold to be lowered for the Parliament to launch a motion of censure against the Commission. This is a powerful tool and the European Parliament needs to have the ability to use it in the most extreme cases.
“Today, we have backed a report calling for greater control over the European Commission and a revision of how senior appointments are made. We want to see the procedure for the secretary general post launched when a new President of the Commission is in place and new rules to ensure that it is a fair and transparent process.”