VOTE ON THE COMMISSION
Monica Frassoni, Co-Chair of the European Green Party, comments:
“While the Greens firmly supported the democratic and innovative Spitzenkandidaten process, we have not given Mr Juncker a carte blanche; and the Green Group has not supported the vote on Juncker’s Commission this morning in the Strasburg plenary.
“We consider the overall composition and the allocation of key-portfolios by Mr Juncker to be more than questionable. In spite of the positive assessment given to many of the new commissioners, Greens across Europe have had misgivings, and for instance with Arias Cañete a specific concern.
“We strongly regret the lack of vision and understanding regarding the potential of green energy and green economy for the transformation of the European Union; and we hope that there will be no continuity of the disastrous Barroso Commission.”
Reinhard Bütikofer, Co-Chair of the European Green Party, says:
"President Juncker has once again raised expectations in his speech today. We will not only judge him on it, but also remind him of this. He has affirmed that he has entered into an agreement with the European Parliament, and he should not forget that. However, the motto of the President-elect should not be that everything is perfect. The new Commission sorely needs to take a clear line moving forward. It must shift away from one-sided austerity policies and put the environment at its heart.
“With President Juncker’s €300bn investment plan, the proof of the pudding is in the eating. Will it lead to a break-though or a break-up?
“With the distribution of tasks within his Commission, Juncker has clearly signaled that he does not want to lead a group of individual actors, but a team.
“The hearings revealed that there are contrasting expectations about the seven existing and twenty new Commissioners. The largest gap in the Commission's operations is in the range of ecological responsibility and the transition to sustainability. Whether the Commission is able to fill this gap, and grow into a functioning team, will not only be crucial for Juncker himself, but also for the EU.”
Monica Frassoni, Co-Chair of the European Green Party, comments:
“While the Greens firmly supported the democratic and innovative Spitzenkandidaten process, we have not given Mr Juncker a carte blanche; and the Green Group has not supported the vote on Juncker’s Commission this morning in the Strasburg plenary.
“We consider the overall composition and the allocation of key-portfolios by Mr Juncker to be more than questionable. In spite of the positive assessment given to many of the new commissioners, Greens across Europe have had misgivings, and for instance with Arias Cañete a specific concern.
“We strongly regret the lack of vision and understanding regarding the potential of green energy and green economy for the transformation of the European Union; and we hope that there will be no continuity of the disastrous Barroso Commission.”
Reinhard Bütikofer, Co-Chair of the European Green Party, says:
"President Juncker has once again raised expectations in his speech today. We will not only judge him on it, but also remind him of this. He has affirmed that he has entered into an agreement with the European Parliament, and he should not forget that. However, the motto of the President-elect should not be that everything is perfect. The new Commission sorely needs to take a clear line moving forward. It must shift away from one-sided austerity policies and put the environment at its heart.
“With President Juncker’s €300bn investment plan, the proof of the pudding is in the eating. Will it lead to a break-though or a break-up?
“With the distribution of tasks within his Commission, Juncker has clearly signaled that he does not want to lead a group of individual actors, but a team.
“The hearings revealed that there are contrasting expectations about the seven existing and twenty new Commissioners. The largest gap in the Commission's operations is in the range of ecological responsibility and the transition to sustainability. Whether the Commission is able to fill this gap, and grow into a functioning team, will not only be crucial for Juncker himself, but also for the EU.”