President Juncker to interview candidate for Commissioner from the United Kingdom

Following the nomination by British Prime Minister David Cameron of Sir Julian King as the candidate to replace outgoing Commissioner Lord Hill, President Jean-Claude Juncker will receive him on Monday, 11 July at 11:00 (CET) for an interview. The purpose of the interview will be to determine the candidate’s ability to serve as a European Commissioner, particularly in light of Article 17(3) of the Treaty on European Union (TEU), which states that: “The members of the Commission shall be chosen on the ground of their general competence and European commitment from persons whose independence is beyond doubt.” Procedurally, the appointment of a new Commissioner of UK nationality requires common accord between the President of the Commission and the Council after the consultation of the European Parliament (Article 246, subparagraph 2 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union). In addition, the Interinstitutional Framework Agreement on relations between the European Parliament and the European Commission requires the President of the Commission to “seriously consider” the results of the consultation of the European Parliament – which will audition the candidate – before giving his accord to the decision of the Council to appoint the new Commissioner (para 6 of the Framework Agreement). Following the decision of Commissioner Lord Hill to resign from the European Commission and on the transfer of the Financial Stability, Financial Services and the Capital Markets Union portfolio to Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis, which will take effect on 16 July, Prime Minister Cameron informed President Juncker on 7 July of his wish to nominate Sir Julian King as the member of the European Commission of UK nationality.