The European Commission has today issued detailed and practical guidance on ethical standards for Members of the Commission who campaign for the European Parliament elections in May. The Guidelines will ensure the coherent application of the revised Code of Conduct for Members of the European Commission. President Juncker proposed in November 2016 a new Code of Conduct in order to explicitly allow Commissioners – all of them experienced and high-calibre politicians – to actively participate in the campaign for the European Parliament elections, including as lead candidates for the position of President of the Commission, without having to temporarily withdraw from their duties in the Commission. The amended Code of Conduct entered into force in January 2018. Commenting on today’s Guidelines,
President Juncker said: “From the very beginning, I wanted this Commission to be a political one. Commissioners take full political ownership and responsibility for all decisions of this Commission. At the same time, I expect them to engage fully and personally with citizens. Actively participating in the upcoming European Parliament elections is part and parcel of this engagement. Therefore, I have changed the Code of Conduct to allow Commissioners to campaign without having to leave the Commission – provided that they keep their campaigning activities clearly separate from their institutional ones.”
