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Our director Giuseppe Scognamiglio co-signed an appeal to the European institutions on Sylvie Goulard’s case
On 10 October members of the European Parliament rejected Sylvie Goulard as France’s next European commissioner for the Internal Market, dealing a blow to French President Emmanuel Macron, who opposed the Spitzenkandidaten and effectively ensured that the leader of the European People’s Party, Manfred Weber, was not granted the Commission presidency.
Given the undisputed general competence and deep European commitment of Sylvie Goulard, this unexpected refusal of trust took place under circumstances which give rise to serious concerns regarding the impartiality and credibility of the European Parliament itself.
Our director Giuseppe Scognamiglio co-signed this document addressed to the European institutions, a document that is not intended to reopen the questionable decision taken by the European Parliament but to make us reflect on the drift that could take place if the EP will move in the future along the lines of this precedent, which is not acceptable from a legal and civic point of view.
Here the full text of the document, with the sign of Giuseppe Scognamiglio.
Fairness, Trust and the Rule of Law
Statement on the European Parliament’s confirmation procedure concerning Sylvie Goulard
On October 10, 2019, the European Parliament’s Committees in charge of her proposed fields of responsibility rejected Sylvie Goulard, the French candidate for the position of Commissioner in the new Commission. This refusal of trust, based upon issues of independence and integrity, took place under circumstances which give rise to serious concerns regarding the impartiality and credibility of the European Parliament itself.
We respectfully submit this statement to the attention of the President of the European Parliament because, beyond the outcome of the specific case mentioned, it would be of serious concern for the credibility of the EU if confirmation proceedings by the EP – a fundamental component of the democratic legitimacy of the Commission – were seen to be tainted by misuse of proceedings.
October 2019
Signed:
Prof. Giuseppe Scognamiglio, Editor of eastwest geopolitical magazine
Prof. Dr. jur. Dres. h.c. Ingolf Pernice, former Professor of Public, International and European Law, former Director of the Walter Hallstein Institute for European Constitutional Law, Humboldt University of Berlin
Prof. Dr. jur. Dr. h.c. Stephan Hobe, Chair for Public International Law, European Law, European and International Economic Law, Director of the Institute for Air Law, Space Law and Cyber Law, University of Cologne
Prof. Dr. Jacques Ziller, Professor of EU Law, University of Pavia, formerly Université de Paris 1 Panthéon Sorbonne and European University Institute, Florence, President of Societas Iuris Publici Europaei
Univ.-Prof. Dr. Stefan Griller, Professor of EU law, vice Director of the Salzburg Center of European Union Studies (SCEUS), Salzburg
Prof. Dr. Albrecht Weber, Professor for Refugee- and Migration law, comparative law and European Law, University of Osnabrück
Prof. Dr. Ulrich K. Preuß, Professor at Hertie School of Governance, em. Freie Universität Berlin, former Director of Center for European Law and Policy at the University of Bremen
Prof. Dr. Markus Kotzur, LL.M. (Duke), Professor of Public law, European and international law, vice-Director of the Institute for International Affairs, manag. Director oft he Institute of European Integration, University of Hamburg
Dr. Triantafyllia Lina Papadopoulou, Associate Professor of Hellenic and European Constitutional Law, Jean Monnet Chair for European Constitutional Law and Culture, Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence “European Constitutionalism and Religion(s)”, School of Law – Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
Rostane Mehdi, Professor of European Law at Sciences Po Aix, visiting professor au Collège d’Europe de Bruges, Chaire Jean Monnet ad personam.
Ani Podimatá, Journalist, EU Affairs consultant and former Vice-President of the European Parliament
Silvia Costa, former Member of the European Parliament, Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament, Member of the scientific Committee of CIR (Italian refugees Council), Member of the Jesuits Education Foundation board of directors
Riccardo Perissich, Senior Fellow, School of European Political Economy, LUISS University, Rome, former Director General of the European Commission
Robert Badinter, Professor h.c., Senator of Hauts de Seine, former French Minister of Justice, former President of the French Conseil Constitutionnel
Prof. Dr. Miroslaw Wyrzowski, University of Warsaw, former Director of the Centre for Constitutionalism and Legal Culture at the Public Affairs Institute, former judge of the Constitutional Court of Poland
Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Clemens Fuest, President of the ifo Institute and Director oft he Center for Ecnomic Studies, Munich
Our director Giuseppe Scognamiglio co-signed an appeal to the European institutions on Sylvie Goulard’s case