Jean-Claude Juncker was forced to hire two senior eurocrats to replace representatives from Estonia and Romania until the end of October. The outgoing European Commission chief warned each hire would cost around €1 million, but was blocked in his effort not to recruit replacements after their predecessors stood down from their roles to become members of the European Parliament. Members of the Council voted to overrule Mr Juncker and force him to hire the new, temporary recruits.
Now the Parliament’s budget chief has criticised a move by the European Council to install Estonia’s Kadri Simson and Romania’s Ioan Mircea Pascu as temporary commissioners.
In a letter of David Sassoli, the European Parliament’s president, Monika Hohlmeier insisted allowing their appointment “cannot be justified under considerations of sound financial management”.Juncker
She wrote: “From a budgetary control perspective, the filling of a vacancy without allocation of a specific responsibility and only for a couple of weeks cannot be justified under considerations of sound financial management.
“According to a statement by the Commission President in the media, the costs of the two vacancies filled until the end of the term will be of €1m each.
“These costs are out of proportion considering, firstly, the extreme shortness of the remainder of the term of office, secondly, the lack of a proper portfolio and, thirdly, the announcement of the Commission President that the Commission will not present any new initiative until the end of term.
“From the point of view of the protection of taxpayers’ money, the appointment of new Commission Members at that point in time and under these circumstances cannot be approved.”
Before the two temporary commissioners can take their posts, they must first be accepted by the Parliament.
Ms Hohlmeier insisted, as “defenders of the European taxpayers”, senior MEPs should vote against enduring the so-called commissioner designates.
MUST READ: Farage savages Macron for ‘desperate tactics’ over Brexit extension
She concluded: “Dear President, allow me to express my serious concerns to proceed by way of a simple exchange of views on the two commissioners-designate.
“As to the substance of the consultation, it does not seem appropriate for the European Parliament – as a defender of the European taxpayers – to endorse the appointment of the two commissioners-designate because such an appointment would contradict the principles of sound financial management and protection of the EU’s financial interests.”
The fill-in commissioners will only hold their current jobs until November, when Ursula von der Leyen replaces Mr Juncker as Commission chief.
Ms Simson and Mr Pascu will not be handed policy portfolios to oversee for the coming months, only fuelling further doubt to their worthiness.
DON’T MISS
Farage promises Boris Johnson majority of 100 MPs in election pact [FORECAST]
How Boris Johnson will deliver Brexit by exploiting EU’s own rules [INSIGHT]
Brexit news: Theresa May’s deal could come back to life [INSIGHT]
Antonio Tajani, who is now president of the Conference of Committee Chairs, will this week oversee their interviews.
The former head of the Parliament has insisted they must face less than an hour’s scrutiny each because their lack of portfolios.
In a note to MEPs, he wrote: “Bearing in mind that the outgoing Commission’s term is due to end in under two months’ time, I propose to further simply the proceedings and to invite the commissioners-designate for an exchange for views of half an hour each.”
The Parliament’s legal affairs committee has also raised doubt whether the candidates can be fully scrutinised if they do not have policy portfolios.
Its chiefs said it is “not in a position to confirm whether there is an absence of conflict of interests in these two cases”.
Without portfolios, the committee “lacks an essential element for the assessment of the existence of any potential or actual conflicts of interests, as required by the rules of procedure”.
Around £200,000 would come from Britain to pay for the temporary commissioners as part of the country’s EU budget contributions.