Civil liberties MEPs to assess UK candidate for Commissioner for Security Union

Source: European Parliament (EP) i, published on Monday, September 12 2016, 15:48.

Civil Liberties Committee MEPs will quiz UK candidate Commissioner for the Security Union Sir Julian King in Strasbourg on Monday evening to assess his candidature. Based on the committee’s recommendation, Parliament’s Conference of Presidents (EP President and political group leaders) will then decide whether to close the hearing procedure after which the full House can take a vote on Thursday.

The hearing is to last three hours, starting at 19.00. It will be open to the press and . The Commissioner-designate may make an opening statement of no longer than 15 minutes. There will be two rounds of questions and a five-minute closing statement by the candidate if he so wishes.

On Tuesday, Civil Liberties Committee Coordinators will meet (in camera) to assess the outcome of the hearing, after which the evaluation will be put to the Conference of Presidents (CoP - EP President and political group leaders). If the CoP deems the hearing procedure closed, the full House will vote on the candidature by secret ballot on Thursday at noon.

As laid down in the Rules of Procedure (Annex XVI), Sir Julian King replied to a written questionnaire prior to the hearing. MEPs are particularly interested in his priorities in the areas of security, coordination with migration, home affairs and citizenship Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos, and the implementation of current legislative instruments, in particular as regards information sharing among law enforcement authorities.

Note to editors

As Commissioner for the Security Union, Julian King will support the implementation of the European Agenda on Security and help to deliver an operational and effective Security Union. He will work under the guidance of Commission First Vice-President Frans Timmermanns, complementing the work of Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos, who is in charge of Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship.

Julian King's candidature was put forward by the UK government following the resignation of Lord Jonathan Hill, who held the Financial Services portfolio. Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker announced on 2 August that he intended to allocate the newly-created Security Union portfolio to the new UK Commissioner. Parliament must be consulted and hear the candidate before he can be appointed.

Hearing will take place on Monday 12 September in room S 1.4

Doorstep with Civil Liberties Committee Chair, Claude Moraes on Tuesday 13 September, 10.30, following the coordinators in camera meeting at the entrance of room LOW S 4.2)

REF. : 20160912IPR42178

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