European Parliament: ALDE Group assessment of the Juncker Hearing
09 July 2014
The ALDE Group has always supported the procedure of the “Spitzenkandidaten”. It welcomed the European Council’s decision to have nominated one of these candidates, the one from the largest group, as the nominee for President of the European Commission
ALDE Statement:
Not only has the European Council with this decision respected the democratic progress, but with Jean-Claude Juncker they have also appointed a convinced European. He is, as he repeated in the hearing an ardent defender of the Community method and as such strongly opposed to the recent intergovernmental developments. The community method is the only process that can guarantee the overall interest of the Union while preserving the interest of all member states. This is essential in ensuring that the Union can continue to develop further in an open, transparent and democratic way.
The ALDE Group has decided to participate in a pro-European majority in Parliament. This majority is essential to support a strong European leadership to promote a pro-European and progressive agenda in view of the populist and anti-European groups now in existence within the Parliament.
But our support for Mr Juncker will not simply be determined by his excellent pro-European credentials. Our support will also depend on the content of his programme and on the degree with which our political family is fully represented in the European Union’s executive so that we have the capacity to implement our priorities.
Having heard Mr Juncker during our hearing of Tuesday 8 July, he conceded a number of points that are key to us.
1. On the energy union, he agrees with our proposal that it is essential to develop it rapidly, exploiting existing funding instruments and elaborate new legal instruments to achieve the degree of funding required. He also agreed with us that it is essential to have a central buying structure in order to pool our energy demands and negotiate with the suppliers with a single voice.
2. On the budget and the financial resources he shares our views that it is essential to develop real own resources for the Union.
3. On the euro he has committed himself to establishing the single external representation of the currency.
4. On asylum and immigration, we share most of the proposals he has made to develop a legal migration policy and we urged him not to forget to include the needs of refugees and develop a system to deliver fair and equal treatment to all.
5. On the composition of the Commission, we note his statement during our hearing that no portfolio has as yet been attributed to any particular Commissioner or political family, not least the portfolio of economic and monetary affairs – in contrast to what has been reported as having been said to the S&D Group.
Finally he stated his determination to apply the Stability and Growth Pact in its entirety and ensure it is respected in full. We want him to clarify this also means the recent additions which have been adopted and contained in the so-called six and two pack.
However, in order to ensure that the ALDE Group backs Mr Juncker, there are further crucial elements that need to be included in his programme. These points will be discussed directly between Mr Verhofstadt and Mr Juncker in the coming days. The outcome of these discussions will determine our final vote next Tuesday in Strasbourg.
1. We want Mr Juncker to commit himself next year to present a legislative package on the Union’s return to growth. We call it a ‘Delors II Package’, including the digital agenda, the full integration of capital markets, the modernisation of our infrastructure, the further extension of the single market and the reindustrialisation of the Union. Such a legislative package must cover both the regulatory changes needed and the financial instruments to achieve it.
2. We also ask Mr Juncker to present a legislative package based on the existing blueprint on economic governance. The current governance of the euro zone must be drastically reformed, made more democratic and accountable and crucially more effective and communitarian. We expect a single legislative proposal to put all the necessary elements in a single proposal.
3. We want the horizontal anti-discrimination proposal to be unblocked and find its rightful place with the existing legal instruments. For the same reason this must go together with the adoption of a road map for LGBT rights. Moreover we call on the Commission to guarantee human rights and civil liberties in the Union, and insist that the Commission is more active in using existing instruments and if necessary by creating new ones.
4. We ask that Mr Juncker commits himself that there are more than current 9 female Commissioners. We want the Commission to be really gender balanced.
5. We strongly oppose the idea of allowing for a special treatment for the UK. Any adjustment or modification of the treaties can only be done on a collective basis including all member states and should if necessary require the holding of a convention.
Finally, we need as Liberal and Democratic family an appropriate representation in the executive and legislative branches of the European Union in order to have the capacity to realise these priorities. This shall form an integral part of the ALDE Group’s assessment prior to the vote next Tuesday in Strasbourg.
Press release online
© ALDE
