Political pact on Commission marks dangerous willingness to normalise far-right
New EU Commission
Tonight, the remaining Commissioner-designates have been approved by the relevant committee coordinators in the European Parliament.
Bas Eickhout MEP, President of the Greens/EFA Group, comments:
“Since the start of this mandate, the EPP has consistently chosen to side with the far-right. Tonight they stooped to a new low- pulling every procedural gimmick to humiliate Ribera, and blow up trust between pro-democracy forces. Their unhinged attitude constitutes a grave affront to democratic order, transparency principles, and sets a dangerous precedent.
“It beggars belief how any ‘pact’ agreed by the three groups earlier today can hold, there is no mention of standing up to the far-right and now we know why, following tonight’s full display of cooperation by EPP and far-right groups. The so-called pact was already a poorly rewritten version of the political guidelines that we already know, but now we see it has even less value than we thought.
“We’ve said time and again that Raffaele Fitto is unfit for a role that covers billions in European funds. He showed very little interest, knowledge and proposals for his future role during the hearings and we regret that he will become Vice President of the Commission.
“Watching national antagonisms and petty politics hold back the process around forming the new Commission is sad and disappointing. The main democratic groups being split is a gift to Viktor Orbán and all those who seek to divide and undermine the European project at a time when it is needed most.”
Terry Reintke MEP, President of the Greens/EFA Group, comments:
“We have long argued that a strong pro-European majority is essential for stable and effective politics over the next five years. This stable majority exists, as we have demonstrated in July by voting with the other pro-European groups in favour of Ursula von der Leyen as Commission President.
“For the first time, the Commission may now be voted through with the explicit support of far-right parties in the ECR, a situation created by the EPP. The farce and divisiveness we witnessed tonight could’ve been avoided. This is what happens when there is a lack of any clear position towards cooperation with far-right groups like ECR. It is striking that the document negotiated by the three political groups does not only have no new elements for the political agenda, but utterly fails to draw a red line on cooperation with the far-right. A situation which the three main democratic groups will now have to answer for.
“Oliver Várhelyi did not convince us over the last five years that he was suitable as a Commissioner and he did not convince us during the hearings that he will be suitable for the next five years. We cannot allow a Commissioner who has shown time and again his utter disrespect for the European Parliament.
“We will make sure that as MEPs we do our duty and scrutinise the work of Fitto and Várhelyi and the whole Commission over the next five years to ensure that they do their jobs in the interest of European citizens.”
