On 30th September 2019, Maroš ŠEFČOVIČ, from Slovakia, Vice-President-designate for Interinstitutional Relations and Foresight, is heard by the Committees on Constitutional Affairs (AFCO) and on Legal Affairs (JURI) in association with the Committees on Petition (PETI) and on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE) of the European Parliament in Brussels to test his general competences, European commitment and specific expertise related to his portfolio. On this occasion, Maroš ŠEFČOVIČ has the opportunity to make an opening statement. The following transcription is the result of an automatic process. Check Against delivery.

Brussels

Committee on Industry, Research and Energy

Committee on Legal Affairs

ŠEFČOVIČ, Maroš (SK, EC)

Committee on Constitutional Affairs

hearing

Committee on Petitions

hearing of Commissioners

2019 Commissioners' hearings (T)

hearing of Maroš ŠEFČOVIČ 2019 (T)

Hearing of Maroš ŠEFČOVIČ, Vice-President-designate, Interinstitutional Relations and Foresight: Opening statement by Maroš ŠEFČOVIČ

SOUNDBITE (English), Maros SEFCOVIC, Vice-President-designate, Interinstitutional Relations and Foresight,: Dear Presidents, honourable chairs honourable members of the European Parliament. Ladies and gentlemen it is indeed a great honour for me to appear before you as a commissioner designate. It is also a privilege to open these upcoming days of debate and scrutiny displaying the European democracy at its best. There is also an emotional element to it in a few weeks.

SOUNDBITE (English), Maros SEFCOVIC, Vice-President-designate, Interinstitutional Relations and Foresight,: We will celebrate 30 years of freedom in my country Slovakia following the Velvet Revolution and I recall very well looking through the famous Iron Curtain through the barbed wire across the Danube not knowing if I ever would be able to cross the river. Visit our Austrian neighbours or even as it is changed today to work for United Europe.

SOUNDBITE (English), Maros SEFCOVIC, Vice-President-designate, Interinstitutional Relations and Foresight,: This experience has contributed to my firm conviction that we must build our destiny as a Democratic Union and to my strong respect for our common institutions and values. It's even more apparent today as the world is changing at an unprecedented pace.

SOUNDBITE (English), Maros SEFCOVIC, Vice-President-designate, Interinstitutional Relations and Foresight,: Humanity's ecological footprint has led to the global climate emergency the global race for technological leadership is set to transform our economic models as well as societies. The multilateral rules based order that Europe stands for is under pressure and the age of these information combined with persisting inequalities put a strain on our democracy.

SOUNDBITE (English), Maros SEFCOVIC, Vice-President-designate, Interinstitutional Relations and Foresight,: We face a crucial question. How can the European Union ensure that we do not end up amid middle power cord between the United States and China. Honourable members to address these challenges I am convinced that we need more not less Europe and a stronger European Parliament. Article 10 of the Treaty on the European Union says that our functioning shall be founded on representative democracy and this is ever more important.

SOUNDBITE (English), Maros SEFCOVIC, Vice-President-designate, Interinstitutional Relations and Foresight,: Therefore I am truly honoured that president elect wants to entrust me with both inter institutional relations and foresight. The European Commission and the European Parliament are natural partners. We have built the solid foundations over the years.

SOUNDBITE (English), Maros SEFCOVIC, Vice-President-designate, Interinstitutional Relations and Foresight,: However it will be my priority to take our cooperation a step further into a special partnership based on trust amongst ourselves as well as with our citizens. In particular I will propose that our partnership extends beyond the legislative domain. It should apply more fully throughout the whole political cycle.

SOUNDBITE (English), Maros SEFCOVIC, Vice-President-designate, Interinstitutional Relations and Foresight,: Evidence gathering and foresight to jointly shape the direction of Europe a shared priority and agenda setting a new right of initiate which I know is very important for you and a better implementation including through cutting red tape. We simply cannot continue acting in crisis management mode with predominantly intergovernmental approach.

SOUNDBITE (English), Maros SEFCOVIC, Vice-President-designate, Interinstitutional Relations and Foresight,: A stronger parliament means a stronger and more legitimate Europe a stronger parliament also means moving into a shared culture of anticipation and action to be resilient in the long run. So let me now turn to concrete measures how to build this special relationship. First I foresee close knit cooperation between our institutions an agenda setting stage.

SOUNDBITE (English), Maros SEFCOVIC, Vice-President-designate, Interinstitutional Relations and Foresight,: As you know I should support president elect by developing the commission work programme. This will be a matter of priority. As of our first programme must be agreed already in December from day one.

SOUNDBITE (English), Maros SEFCOVIC, Vice-President-designate, Interinstitutional Relations and Foresight,: I will therefore work with my colleagues in the commission as well as reach out to you to political groups and to the Conference of Committee Chairs in the Parliament. On this basis we should also adopt a joint declaration on legislative priorities between our three institutions. I have also proposed that the first ever multi-annual programme is foreseen in 2016 into institutional agreement on better lawmaking and this programme needs to be also a core creation exercise with a collective ownership and accountability.

SOUNDBITE (English), Maros SEFCOVIC, Vice-President-designate, Interinstitutional Relations and Foresight,: It also needs to be grounded in the foresight work at internal institutional level. Second the right of initiative for the European Parliament that would mark the start of new institutional era. As announced by President elect when the Parliament acting by a majority of its members requested a legislative proposal the commission will respond with a legislative act in full respect of the proportionality subsidiarity and better lawmaking principles to deliver it swiftly. I will propose that our institutions engage in earliest phases of conception of parliamentary resolutions and work hand-in-hand. At every stage in designing them.

SOUNDBITE (English), Maros SEFCOVIC, Vice-President-designate, Interinstitutional Relations and Foresight,: I want to put in place an early warning mechanism to ensure constant dialogue between the Commission and the parliament. Once a parliamentary resolution is adopted I will ensure that the College of Commissioner holds a political discussion on the subject and such a process should facilitate understanding on substance and at the same time foster trust between our two institutions and sense of working together towards a common goal.

SOUNDBITE (English), Maros SEFCOVIC, Vice-President-designate, Interinstitutional Relations and Foresight,: It is in this house where the heart of European democracy beats. I will therefore work with the vice president in charge to ensure the Parliament plays an active role in the conference on future of Europe. And third I will encourage to revive discussions on pending institutional files in particular on the right of inquiry. I have full understanding for the Parliament's attempts to review the regulation. As the discussion has been stalled over the institutional and legal concerns I stand ready to engage in trilateral discussions regarding international negotiations.

SOUNDBITE (English), Maros SEFCOVIC, Vice-President-designate, Interinstitutional Relations and Foresight,: I will work with the relevant commissioners to ensure that the European Parliament is regularly brief notably before major events and at key stages of international negotiations and fourth petitions as input from the citizens to detect and where appropriate to act upon breaches of EU law. I will work closely with the Petitions Committee throughout the year and of course attend its presentation of the annual report.

SOUNDBITE (English), Maros SEFCOVIC, Vice-President-designate, Interinstitutional Relations and Foresight,: Moreover should we see significant number of petitions on one topic I will encourage presence of responsible commissioners to discuss what can be done to remedy the concerns expressed. And finally I want to work with you on better regulation and its effective and transparent implementation. Our objective should be to adopt and implement future proof legislation that can stand the test of time which does not create unnecessary burden and delivers results at minimal cost. To this end I want to advance that better regulation agenda.

SOUNDBITE (English), Maros SEFCOVIC, Vice-President-designate, Interinstitutional Relations and Foresight,: Further I will proposed the draft platform is rebranded to a fit for the future platform. I am convinced that our legislation should be for instance fit for e-government and digital use regularly I will report to the Parliament on the platform's findings.

SOUNDBITE (English), Maros SEFCOVIC, Vice-President-designate, Interinstitutional Relations and Foresight,: I also believe that we should better involve those on the receiving end of the regulation and to go more for active subsidiarity in order to do away with that common impression that everything is decided in Brussels. He will send them the means by which local and regional authorities can inform us of the burden experienced when applying EU legislation as well as of opportunities to alleviate.

SOUNDBITE (English), Maros SEFCOVIC, Vice-President-designate, Interinstitutional Relations and Foresight,: And input from you. Honourable members will be equally valuable because you interact on the ground in your constituencies. I will surely involve in this work the committee of the regions and the European Economic and Social Committee. I also aim to engage more actively with the member states to ensure that when transposing EU legislation they do not add unnecessary administrative burden. We all know it under the name called plate.

SOUNDBITE (English), Maros SEFCOVIC, Vice-President-designate, Interinstitutional Relations and Foresight,: The EU institutions should be warned when a member state introduces measures going beyond EU legislation requirements and I will involve the commission representations in this and I will make sure that the members of the European Parliament are properly informed as well. In the first two years of the mandate I plan to visit all national parliaments to better value their important work in relations to active subsidiarity and proportionality.

SOUNDBITE (English), Maros SEFCOVIC, Vice-President-designate, Interinstitutional Relations and Foresight,: And I will discuss with them our multi-annual programming. I'll apply the one in one out principle as announced by President elect. Meaning that every legislative proposal with a new burden for the users should be offset by an equivalent reduction elsewhere. This is particularly key for small and medium enterprises and I will make sure that these new principle is applied in all areas. However I would like to underline this. I say a clear no to a mechanical approach and to endangering our high standards especially social and environmental.

SOUNDBITE (English), Maros SEFCOVIC, Vice-President-designate, Interinstitutional Relations and Foresight,: Actually we should always wait benefits as well. The European Parliament has done an excellent work with its study on the cost of non Europe quantifying economic gain of two point two trillion euros over the 10 years. If for instance we implement fully our Single Market notably in the services digital energy and if we address corporate tax avoidance therefore via a citizen's summary I want us to communicate better. The evidence based benefits for citizens businesses and societies as such.

SOUNDBITE (English), Maros SEFCOVIC, Vice-President-designate, Interinstitutional Relations and Foresight,: Our success on its institutional front is a prerequisite for embedding foresight into the policymaking linking the two domains can be a true game changer. This is not something abstract and I can give you a vibrant example. The European battery alliance even if at twelve hour we had anticipated the upcoming tectonic shift thoughts immobility with industry leading we started to act strategically to build a strong value chain and start producing the greenest batteries here in Europe and as a result we are catching up with our Asian competitors and a sustainable future for our automotive industry seems secure.

SOUNDBITE (English), Maros SEFCOVIC, Vice-President-designate, Interinstitutional Relations and Foresight,: I am honoured that the president elect has entrusted me with continuing to lead our efforts in this area and are also ready to discuss other strategic sectors where Europe can make a real difference. Provided that we all work together to this end if confirmed by you I will propose that we strive for world class anticipatory governance building foresight capacity inside the commission to serve our policy goals and my intention is to mobilize resources of the Joint Research Centre as a crucial enabler.

SOUNDBITE (English), Maros SEFCOVIC, Vice-President-designate, Interinstitutional Relations and Foresight,: We need to set up a new network of strategic foresight bringing together the best of EU institutions and the member states. As the saying goes you are entitled to your own opinion but not to your to your own facts. So faced with a tsunami of information I also want to safeguard the quality of evidence and to reinforce its transparency. In practice I will explore with the other institutions the setting up of a common evidence register open to public were we will share the evidence used in our legislative proposals.

SOUNDBITE (English), Maros SEFCOVIC, Vice-President-designate, Interinstitutional Relations and Foresight,: As you know presidents elect submission letter gives me a mandate to prepare a yearly Foresight report on the most relevant emerging trends. This report will inform the State of the Union speech and our programming exercise based on it.

SOUNDBITE (English), Maros SEFCOVIC, Vice-President-designate, Interinstitutional Relations and Foresight,: I will champion strategic debates in the European Parliament as well as the European Council and I want us to agree on transformative megatrends that we need to approach strategically and develop our long term vision for Europe with a direct impact on my multi-annual programming as well. With this in mind I will work closely with the vice president for the conference on the future of Europe.

SOUNDBITE (French), Maros SEFCOVIC, Vice-President-designate, Interinstitutional Relations and Foresight,: Mr. President Madam President Ladies and gentlemen I've had the privilege to work with parliamentarians of this house during the last legislatures. Let me first of all say that I primarily work with the Foreign Affairs Constitutional Affairs Committee and the Legal Affairs Committee and also with the Industry Research and Energy Committee to put together the Energy Union we entered into a framework agreement between our institutions.

SOUNDBITE (French), Maros SEFCOVIC, Vice-President-designate, Interinstitutional Relations and Foresight,: We worked hand-in-hand to bring about modernization of the statute for officials and other servants. I was also able to pay my modest part in achieving these objectives and what I want to do is to work without stint to achieve a good outcome for our partnership. I have my convictions and my democratic principles inherited from the Velvet Revolution. Thank you very much for your attention. And I'm looking forward to your questions.