P5_TA(2004)0384

Approval of the European Commission with its new Members

European Parliament decision approving the Commission in its new form

The European Parliament,

- having regard to Article 214(2), third subparagraph, and Article 215 of the EC Treaty,

- having regard to the Act concerning the conditions of accession of the Czech Republic, the Republic of Estonia, the Republic of Cyprus, the Republic of Latvia, the Republic of Lithuania, the Republic of Hungary, the Republic of Malta, the Republic of Poland, the Republic of Slovenia and the Slovak Republic, and the adjustments to the Treaties on which the European Union is founded [1], and in particular Article 45 thereof,

- having regard to the candidates nominated by the 10 new Member States for appointment as Members of the Commission, namely Péter Balįzs, Joe Borg, Jįn Figel', Dalia Grybauskaitė, Danuta Hübner, Siim Kallas, Sandra Kalniete, Markos Kyprianou, Janez Potočnik and Pavel Telička,

- having regard to the hearings of the candidates conducted by its Conference of Committee Chairmen on 13 to 15 April 2004,

- having regard to the Council's intention to appoint the 10 new Members of the Commission by 5 May 2004 at the latest, as stated in its letter of 26 February 2004 to the President of the European Parliament,

- having regard to the resignation of Mr Michel Barnier as a Member of the Commission, tendered on 31 March 2004,

- having regard to the nomination by the Government of the French Republic on 1 April 2004 of Mr Jacques Barrot for appointment as a Member of the Commission,

- having regard to the resignation of Mr Pedro Solbes Mira as a Member of the Commission, tendered on 17 April 2004,

- having regard to the nomination by the Kingdom of Spain on 19 April 2004 of Mr Joaquín Almunia for appointment as a Member of the Commission,

- having regard to the hearings of the candidates to replace Mr Barnier and Mr Solbes Mira conducted on 26 and 27 April 2004 respectively,

- having regard to the presentation of the new enlarged Commission made by its President on 5 May 2004,

- having regard to Rule 33 of its Rules of Procedure,

A. noting the results of the hearings of the ten nominee Commissioners from the new Member States, as summarised in the evaluation letters addressed by the individual chairmen of the parliamentary committees to the chairman of the Conference of Committee Chairmen and the recommendation of the Conference of Committee Chairmen to the Conference of Presidents,

B. recalling that, in accordance with the procedure set out in the Treaties and Parliament's Rules of Procedure, Parliament will have to approve the new Commission in advance of its taking up its duties on 1 November 2004, and that comprehensive and decisive hearings by Parliament's committees will take place at that stage,

C. acknowledging that the Prodi Commission must continue to fulfil its duties in accordance with its 2004 legislative and work programme and Parliament's resolution of 17 December 2003 [2] on this subject right until the end of its mandate, but expecting it, for the period after the elections, not to take new initiatives of major political import relating to the period after the expiry of its mandate,

D. recalling the Council's decision of 9 July 1999 [3] not to proceed to the replacement of resigning Commissioners and urging the Member States and the Council to refrain from replacing members of the current Commission who retire before the end of its term of office,

E. reiterating its call in favour of a parallelism of terms of office between the European Parliament and the Commission,

F. calling for a review of the procedure to cover circumstances in which individual Members of the Commission retire before their term of office ends,

1. Approves the Commission in its new form for the remainder of its term of office until 31 October 2004;

2. Instructs its President to forward this decision to the Council, the Commission and the governments of the Member States.

[1] OJ L 236, 23.9.2003, p. 33.

[2] P5_TA(2003)0585.

[3] OJ L 192, 24.7.1999, p. 53.

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