The election of Teresa Ribera as vice-president of Competition and Green Transition has exposed the contradictions of Alberto Núñez Feijóo’s PP and now places it in a complicated situation. On the one hand, popular Spaniards have criticized the nomination that their co-religionist Ursula von der Leyen finally blessed, and on the other, they will have to decide whether or not they will support the Spanish commissioner in her election alone and in the common set of the new college of commissioners. Even if in the European People’s Party it is assumed that a heavyweight like Ribera will not fall in the examination process, because the socialists could claim an additional share in the delicate game of balance, the Spanish popular have started maneuvers to exhaust her for the position of their husband, Mariano Bacigalupo, at the National Securities Market Commission (CNMV).
“Everyone has made files on the candidates and that is perhaps their weak point,” recognized popular sources the day before the meeting of the Legal Affairs Committee of the European Parliament (JURI), which confidentially analyzes potential candidates. conflicts of interest of future commissioners. Sources present at Thursday’s meeting, which took place behind closed doors, acknowledge that the PP raised the issue of Bacigalupo.
But can it go beyond the noise? In principle no. The JURI commission limits itself to analyzing possible conflicts of interest of candidates on the basis of the information they themselves present concerning their previous activities, their affiliations, their assets or their finances, among others. However, this commission, stripped of its powers during the last mandate, can only analyze the documents presented to it and has no investigative capacity. In the case of spouses, the only information analyzed by the deputies is that of their financial interests, so the commission has no power over Bacigalupo’s position within the CNMV, which the PP has continued to criticize .
A system with flaws
If the commission determines that it is correct, the candidate proceeds properly to the next phase, which is what happened in the case of Ribera, who passed the initial filter. On the contrary, the commission can request additional information from candidates and even call them to appear in person. At the first meeting of the JURI, it was decided to request additional explanations given that “some declarations of interest lack information”, as the PP reports in a press release. If a conflict of interest is detected and is not resolved, the European Parliament will inform the person concerned so that they can do so or the President of the European Commission so that they can request another candidate from the State member.
Different parliamentary sources recognize that with the current rules it is practically impossible to stop an appointment in this part of the procedure. La Izquierda spokesperson Manon Aubry spoke most clearly against the process, which she called a “farce” at the end of the meeting. “Many of their candidates have worked for years for large companies or lobbies. But JURI cannot comment on this type of conflict of interest because it is strictly limited to an examination of financial aspects! », expressed the parliamentarian from La France Insoumise, who drew attention to the fact that the current candidates do not declare any action. (they implied that they had sold them before) after in 2019 the commission questioned the participations of Josep Borrell or Paolo Gentiloni in listed companies.
Exams from November 4 to 12
And what JURI can include is a recommendation for further consideration before the committees regarding the portfolios that the commissioners will assume. These quotes are public. There the PP also raises the issue of Ribera’s husband to exhaust her. “Everyone can use it,” recognize popular sources, who see in this issue and its position on nuclear power possible blows that could be dealt to the candidate for vice-president of Competition and Green Transition . “This information is accessible to all groups and all nationalities,” they add.
The deadline given to JURI to analyze the 26 expressions of interest expires on October 18. Exams (audiences) to the new commissioners of the European Parliament will take place between November 4 and 12. If the committees reject one of the candidates (which requires a two-thirds majority in a first vote and a simple majority in a second vote), the member state must present another candidate who will follow the same process .
Despite the doubts expressed by the Feijóo PP about Ribera, in Brussels it is assumed that the candidacy will be accepted. Among the names that seem dubious is Slovenia’s Marta Kos, whom Von der Leyen placed in the Expansion portfolio. The EPP accuses him of having worked for the Yugoslav secret services and of having links with Russia. The Hungarian Olivér Várhelyi, appointed for animal health and welfare, is also not convincing after five years at the European Commission during which his relations with the European Parliament were poor.
