Hearing of Vice President-designate Dubravka Šuica

Political groups’ coordinators from the committee will meet within 24 hours to assess the performance of Vice President-designate Dubravka Šuica.

Citizens’ participation in EU democracy and demographic change

In her introductory speech, Ms Šuica committed to improve citizens’ participation in EU democracy and to address Europe’s demographic change, which she sees as “a root cause of some people losing faith in our democracy”. The Vice President-designate committed to dedicate herself fully to the organisation of a Conference on the Future of Europe in 2020.

MEPs from the Constitutional Affairs Committee highlighted the need for local authorities and national parliaments to be more closely involved in the Conference. She responded that the institutional set-up of the EU would be discussed with the EP, including the ‘Spitzenkandidaten’ system and transnational electoral lists. She also said she would support the EP’s right of initiative.

MEPs also put forward several questions on migration as well as minorities’ and women’s rights. They reminded Ms Šuica, who has been an MEP for several years, about her vote against an EP resolution calling for greater sexual and reproductive health and rights as well as another one asking to apply the Article 7 procedure to Hungary.

Press point

At the end of the hearing, Committee Chair Antonio Tajani (AFCO, EPP, IT) and Vice President-designate Dubravka Šuica made a statement to the press. 

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.

Background

Members of the associated Employment and Social Affairs and Women’s Rights and Gender Equality committees also participated in the hearing.