The presidents and political groups’ coordinators from both committees will meet within 24 hours to assess the performance of the Commissioner-designate.

Completing the internal market and digitalising Europe

During her introductory speech, Ms Goulard underlined the importance of completing the internal market – both for services and industry. She highlighted the need to enable companies to contribute to growth, including by supporting SMEs and cutting red tape. She also mentioned the circular economy and referred to the opportunities that solving the climate crisis could bring about for European industry. Ms Goulard also raised problems related to lack of fiscal equality in EU member states and the need to have a fair minimum wage in the EU. A new law on Digital Services will be tabled, she announced, also mentioning that a balance between freedom and security must be reached.

MEPs put forward questions on how the Commissioner-designate plans to safeguard the single market’s four freedoms – goods, services, persons and capital – and ensure that the Digital Services Act will not create new barriers in Europe. Net neutrality must be safeguarded, some MEPs demanded. The need to properly enforce single market rules was also addressed. On artificial intelligence, Mrs Goulard reiterated that the new Commission will come up with proposals within its first 100 days in office.

Members also questioned the Commissioner-designate on her involvement in investigations in France and by the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF), related to staff payments when she was an MEP, and on remunerations she declared from a US-based think tank. The Commissioner-designate denied any wrongdoing, referred to the principle of presumption of innocence and indicated that the EP’s administrative procedure was closed.

Later in the hearing, MEPs also raised the issues of the EU Defence Fund, the EU programme Digital Europe, e-commerce, 5G and poor implementation of EU rules in some areas linked to the internal market.

You can watch the video recording of the full hearing here.

Press point

At the end of the hearing, Committee Chairs Petra De Sutter (Greens/EFA, BE) and Adina-Ioana Vălean (EPP, RO) held a press point outside the meeting room: watch it here.

Next steps

Based on the committees’ recommendations, the Conference of Presidents will decide on 17 October if Parliament has received sufficient information to declare the hearing process closed. If so, the plenary will vote on whether or not to elect the Commission as a whole on 23 October, in Strasbourg.

Before the European Parliament can vote the new European Commission led by Ursula von der Leyen into office, parliamentary committees will assess the suitability of all commissioners-designate.

Each candidate commissioner will attend a live-streamed, three-hour hearing in front of the committee or committees responsible for their proposed portfolio. The hearings take place between Monday 30 September and Tuesday 8 October.

Learn more about the hearings process.

Following the publication today of the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) award regarding the amount of U.S. countermeasures in the WTO Airbus dispute, Commissioner for Trade Cecilia Malmström made the following statement:

“The European Union takes note of the decision of the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) arbitration panel in the Airbus case, and the level of possible countermeasures.

We remain of the view that even if the United States obtains authorisation from the WTO Dispute Settlement Body, opting for applying countermeasures now would be short-sighted and counterproductive.

Both the EU and the U.S. have been found at fault by the WTO dispute settlement system for continuing to provide certain unlawful subsidies to their aircraft manufacturers.

In the parallel Boeing case, the EU will in some months equally be granted rights to impose countermeasures against the U.S. as a result of its continued failure to comply with WTO rules. A preliminary list of U.S. products to be considered for countermeasures was published last April.

The mutual imposition of countermeasures, however, would only inflict damage on businesses and citizens on both sides of the Atlantic, and harm global trade and the broader aviation industry at a sensitive time.

The European Commission has consistently communicated to the United States that the European Union is ready to work with them on a fair and balanced solution for our respective aircraft industries.

The aircraft sector is amongst the most complex industries in the world, from the development, production and financing point of view. The specificity of the sector calls for comprehensive subsidy disciplines so that all players compete on an equal footing.

The EU has, as recently as this July, shared concrete proposals with the U.S. for a new regime on aircraft subsidies, and a way forward on existing compliance obligations on both sides. So far the U.S. has not reacted.

Our readiness to find a fair settlement remains unchanged. But if the U.S. decides to impose WTO authorised countermeasures, it will be pushing the EU into a situation where we will have no other option than do the same.”

For More Information

WTO decision authorising countermeasures

History of the dispute

Parallel WTO dispute on Boeing and potential EU countermeasures

The updated Q&A for transparency issues clarifies that for ETFs there is only one average daily turnover (ADT) band from which to choose the highest threshold to be used to calculate the average value of transactions (AVT).

The amended Q&A for market structures issues clarifies how to interpret the application of the tick size regime to periodic auctions.

Background

The purpose of these Q&As is to promote common supervisory approaches and practices in the application of MiFID II and MiFIR. They provide responses to questions posed by the general public and market participants in relation to the practical application of level 1 and level 2 provisions relating to transparency and market structures issues.

ESMA will continue to develop these Q&As in the coming months and will review and update them where required.

Before the European Parliament can vote the new European Commission led by Ursula von der Leyen into office, parliamentary committees assess the suitability of commissioners-designate.

Each candidate commissioner is invited for a live-streamed, three-hour hearing in front of the committee or committees responsible for their proposed portfolio. The hearings take place between Monday 30 September and Tuesday 8 October.