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The EU has moved a step closer creating an ethics body for all the EU institutions.
This comes after the European Commission officially approved the agreement resulting from the negotiations among the EU institutions and bodies for the creation of the first ever interinstitutional ethics body.
On Wednesday, it said this was an “important step” towards the establishment of the body.
The news comes just ahead of the EU elections where trust and confidence in the EU institutions and politicians will be put to the test.
The body will be in charge of developing, updating and interpreting common minimum standards for ethical conduct, applicable to all members of EU institutions and bodies, and for the implementation and transparency of rules.
Additionally, it will contribute to fostering a common ethics culture for all members of EU institutions, as well as facilitate an exchange of views among the institutions on their internal rules, allowing them to learn and benefit from each other’s experience.
The actions of the Ethics Body will, according to the EC, “be transparent and accessible to the public.”
Reaction was swift with comment from EC Vice-President for Values and Transparency, Věra Jourova.
On 17 April, the official said: “This agreement represents our shared strong commitment to ensure that our Union’s institutions are bound by the highest standards of ethics and transparency, and to create a common European ethics culture, applicable to all.”
“While our roles may differ due to the nature of our mandate, and there is no ‘one size fits all’ when it comes to the risks that we face, it has become clear that a common culture of ethics, built through shared common standards and cooperation among institutions, is needed.”
