Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/1999-07-21-Speech-3-117"
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"en.19990721.7.3-117"2
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".
(FI) Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, right at the start, I would also like to congratulate you on your election to this Parliament. I wish you all every success in the discharge of your demanding duties. As a representative of the country that now holds the Presidency, I shall be personally present at the part-session in September. I really appreciate having the opportunity to work together with you all.
In a letter from him dated 9 June, Mr Bangemann, then Member of the Commission, informed the then President of the Commission, Gerhard Schröder, of his intention to enter the service of a private telecommunications company, the Spanish firm
. The Council immediately looked into the matter, deciding on 9 July to take the case to the European Court of Justice, on the basis of Article 213 (2(3)) of the EC Treaty and the regulations contained in the ECSC Treaty and the Euratom Treaty.
Under the EC Treaty, Members of the Commission must make a solemn declaration, when commencing their duties, that they will honour their obligations of membership, during their term of office and after it has ended, and behave with integrity and discretion, in the acceptance, after their term of office has ended, of certain appointments or benefits.
In the view of the Council, Mr Bangemann, who has, since 1992, been the Commission Member expressly responsible for telecommunications, was in breach of the regulations. The Council believes he was under an obligation to decline
offer. The Court will decide whether the Member of the Commission was in breach of the EC Treaty or not. While handling the Bangemann case, the Council noticed with satisfaction how swiftly the future President of the Commission was to act after the case was brought. It is the common objective of the Council, the future President of the Commission, Romano Prodi, and all the candidates for membership of the Commission to prevent the repetition in future of similar conflicts of interest, such as that which occurred in the Bangemann case. Professor Prodi, in his own programme of reforms for the Commission, has stressed the need for transparency, efficiency and accountability. When he spoke earlier today here in the European Parliament, he told us what demands he would be making in practice on the Members of the new Commission. For example, there will be clear rules for new Members regarding what sort of posts would be appropriate for them to take up on departure from the Commission.
Members of the Commission must also, if requested, allow an independent ethics committee to investigate any future post up to a year after they have ceased to hold office, to ensure the new job is compatible in its nature with the work of the Commission.
The Council and its President warmly support the rules on behaviour that Romano Prodi has given notice of, and they are a good start on the road to comprehensive reforms. Besides the Members of the Commission, all others in the service of the institutions of the Union must be able to demonstrate that they are adhering to the principle of transparency and complying with commonly accepted rules of behaviour. I am happy to note that the Commission has acted in accordance with the wishes of both the Council and Parliament and begun preparations to alter rules relating to personnel policy. We need precise rules. Only credible reforms will bring the Commission and the Union as a whole closer to the public and increase the confidence of our citizens in the Union and its institutions.
(SV) Mr President, as Finland is bilingual, I will conclude my contribution in Swedish.
As President of the European Union, Finland will place great emphasis on openness, efficiency and accountability. The reform process has been initiated in all institutions, which is due, amongst others, to the European Parliament, which on various occasions has drawn attention to these problems. On the other hand, there is still a lot to be done. I hope that all EU institutions take responsibility by showing the necessary readiness to undergo reform in this work."@en1
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"Telefónica"s"1
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