3 October 2019

Scott Ainslie - Green MEP for London - filmed a short video to explain the 'hearings' for the proposed new Commissioners which are taking place in the European Parliament this week and next.

Watch the video on Scott's YouTube channel here. Or find a full transcript below.

I want to apologise to the UK public - you’ve been fed a very poor and amplified one-sided view of the EU and been kept in the dark as to how it really works and impacts your lives. As I promised on my first day as an MEP, myself and my colleagues are going to change that.

One myth is that the EU is led by ‘unelected bureaucrats’. Well, here’s the truth:

A few months ago, the elected MEPs in the European Parliament voted to approve Ursula von der Leyen as the new President of the European Commission. Since then, she has proposed a list of Commissioners - one from each EU country - who will head up different departments within the Commission over the next five years.

These jobs are hugely important because the Commission is responsible for proposing new laws, which will later be debated, amended and voted on by us as MEPs.

Given that the new Commissioners will have such a big influence, it’s only right that their past activities and financial interests are thoroughly scrutinised before they’re officially appointed.

Last week, the MEPs on the Legal Committee inspected each of the 27 candidates for conflicts of interest.

Two of them - the proposed Commissioners for Hungary and Romania - failed the test & MEPs blocked them from progressing onto the next phase of the process.

Your elected MEPs have sent a clear message to the Commission that we want the best from our new Commissioners and we won’t tolerate corruption within our institutions.

Over the next two weeks, the proposed new Commissioners are being grilled by the relevant committees, where MEPs from all political groups can ask them questions about their priorities and plans for the next five years. Since I’m a member of the Transport and Tourism Committee, and a substitute in the Constitutional Affairs Committee, I will attend a total of four hearings with four different Commissioners.

So right now its the MEPs who have the power over the commissioners. The promises outlined in the Commissioner hearings are not only made to us as MEPs, but to you - as EU citizens. In the coming months and years, we’ll be holding the Commissioners to account and making sure they deliver on their promises.