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Macron’s EU Pick Comes Under Fire From Lawmakers Over Ethics

Macron's EU Pick Comes Under Fire From Lawmakers Over Ethics

(Bloomberg) -- France’s pick for the European Commission faced a tough confirmation hearing at the European Parliament, with lawmakers grilling her over ongoing legal probes and a highly-paid stint advising a U.S. think tank.

Sylvie Goulard faced several hours of often-hostile questions on whether it was right for her to take on a powerful post on the European Union executive that would give her oversight of industrial policy and the digital market.

“Honestly, I can’t understand why you couldn’t be a minister in your country, but you can stand as commissioner,” said Evelyne Gebhardt, a German deputy from the European Socialist group, in Brussels on Wednesday.

Goulard stepped down as France’s defense minister after only a few weeks in 2017 due to an investigation into whether she misused public funds during her time as a European lawmaker. President Emmanuel Macron’s office says Goulard was cleared at the EU level.

But French authorities are still conducting a separate probe into her party while the EU anti-fraud office is looking into Goulard herself. She denies any wrongdoing.

Candidates Vetoed

In response to the lawmakers on Wednesday, Goulard stressed the conclusions of a previous investigation by the parliament that stated there was no fraud.

“I’m very confident, very calm,” she said. “I’ve not been indicted.”

The EU’s largest political group, the center-right European People’s Party, also turned their fire on Goulard. The EPP and the Socialists have each lost a candidate of their own this week over concerns about conflicts of interest.

“We don’t need a superwoman, as #Goulard says,” the EPP said in a tweet. “However, we need a commissioner whose scandals will not imperil important EU projects.”

Claiming Goulard’s scalp would be a blow not just for her centrist political group, but also for Macron himself. The French president drew the Parliament’s ire when he torpedoed the so-called Spitzenkandidaten process after May’s EU election, essentially curbing the assembly’s powers in picking the head the European Commission.

The concerns over Goulard’s suitability focused on her work advising Berggruen Institute, which reportedly paid her around 10,000 euros ($11,000) a month for several years from 2013 to 2016, a period that overlapped with her time as an EU lawmaker.

Goulard defended her decision to work with the think tank but recognized that it looks bad.

“I do see now that this issue could have offended people, is offending people,” she said.

Further Clarifications

Lawmakers from different political groups evaluated her performance late on Wednesday amid criticism from both sides of the political spectrum. They decided her answers weren’t convincing enough to justify a green light. She could be in for another grilling.

“There is a cloud of doubt hanging over Commissioner-designate Sylvie Goulard,” said Christian Ehler, a spokesman for the European People’s party, adding that his group will demand that more questions are answered, and a possible second hearing, “to clear up the outstanding issues and to make up our minds.”

Christel Schaldemose, a spokeswoman for the alliance of Socialists, said “the case seems to be serious enough to have sparked her resignation as defence minister in France,” she said. “If as Commissioner she is forced to face judicial proceedings, her appointment risks weakening the Commission as a whole.”

To contact the reporters on this story: Viktoria Dendrinou in Brussels at vdendrinou@bloomberg.net;Natalia Drozdiak in Brussels at ndrozdiak1@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Ben Sills at bsills@bloomberg.net, ;Giles Turner at gturner35@bloomberg.net, Flavia Krause-Jackson

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