France’s Commission pick Sylvie Goulard rejected by Parliament

France’s Commission pick Sylvie Goulard rejected by Parliament

MEPs vote down Ursula von der Leyen’s nominee for beefed-up internal market job.

By MAÏA DE LA BAUME AND LAURA KAYALI 10/10/19, 2:17 PM CET Updated 10/10/19, 3:47 PM CET

https://www.politico.eu/article/frances-commission-pick-sylvie-goulard-rejected-by-parliament/

Members of the European Parliament on Thursday rejected Sylvie Goulard as France’s next European commissioner, dealing a blow to French President Emmanuel Macron and incoming Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen.

The Parliament's internal market and industry committees voted in a secret ballot not to approve Goulard's nomination to take on a beefed-up internal market portfolio, spanning industrial policy, defense and technology.

Eighty-two committee members voted against Goulard, 29 voted in favor and one abstained, according to multiple MEPs and Parliament officials.

Goulard, a liberal former MEP, had faced questions in two confirmation hearings about allegations that she used a European Parliament assistant for domestic political work, about her work for a U.S. think tank and about the size of her portfolio.

Much of the criticism of Goulard was led by the European People's Party (EPP), and some MEPs suspect the center-right bloc wanted to exact revenge on Macron after he torpedoed EPP group leader Manfred Weber's campaign for the Commission presidency.

Those suspicions will be fueled by a tweet from the EPP group about an opinion on the case from Parliament's legal committee. Faintly visible in the background of the image were the words “Guys we are going to kill her in the vote later but do not say.” The tweet has since been deleted.

However, other MEPs said substantive issues played a big part in the decision.

"This is not just a political game, there have been some serious questions about her integrity, some serious questions about her portfolio," said Christel Schaldemose, coordinator for the internal market committee for the center-left Socialists & Democrats group.

"I don't know what will happen now, Macron will have to find a new person but at the same time, it would be wise if Ursula von der Leyen considers the broad portfolio, because it has been — and it's fair — part of the discussion," Schaldemose said.

In a brief reaction, Goulard tweeted that she "took note of the decision of the European Parliament, with respect for democracy." She thanked Macron and von der Leyen, and the MEPs who voted for her.

One MEP from the same liberal-centrist group as Goulard described the defeat as a “humiliation” for Macron.

Marcel Kolaja, a Czech MEP from the Greens group, said the second confirmation hearing on Thursday had been "a fair chance to clarify on a lot of stuff, on policy, and also the ethical aspects” of Goulard’s candidacy.

But, he said, "MEPs were not satisfied with the answers, in particular on the ethical parts." Goulard "was not able for instance to clarify what the added value of €10,000 per month was," Kolaja added, referring to the amount Goulard was reportedly paid by the Berggruen Institute, a U.S.-based think tank.

The rejection of Goulard, who was supported by the liberal-centrist Renew Europe group, means one nominee backed by each of the three biggest political blocs in the Parliament has failed to win confirmation. Romania's Rovana Plumb, supported by the Socialists & Democrats, and Hungary's László Trócsányi, who had the backing of the EPP, were rejected by the Parliament's Legal Affairs Committee.

"I regret that Sylvie Goulard was not confirmed. This shows that merit does not always triumph over politics," said Dita Charanzová, a Parliament vice president and coordinator for Renew Europe in the internal market committee.

This article has been updated.