THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT is set to approve Kevin Cardiff’s candidacy for the European Court of Auditors when MEPs vote on his nomination later today.
The parliament’s plenary session in Strasbourg is virtually certain to back Cardiff’s nomination, with the two largest parliamentary groupings – the European People’s Party, of which Fine Gael is a member, and Labour’s grouping of Socialists and Democrats – both supporting him.
Today’s Irish Times reports that the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats – the grouping of which Fianna Fáil, and previously the Progressive Democrats, were members – is also set to give Cardiff its backing.
With the backing of those three groupings, Cardiff should enjoy the support of over 530 MEPs – giving him an easy majority in the 736-member parliament.
His approval will come despite the decision of the parliament’s Budgetary Control committee – which works most closely with the Court of Auditors – to offer a “negative opinion” on Cardiff’s nomination after his initial interview with it last month.
It is understood, however, that the EPP’s ten members of the committee voted against supporting Cardiff because they feared a potential conflict of interest between Cardiff’s work with the Department of Finance and his potential duties at the Court in Luxembourg.
Those fears have now been eased, meaning Cardiff is set to be backed by an overwhelming majority of MEPs in their ballot in Strasbourg between 12pm and 1pm (Irish time) today.
The final appointment is made by the European Council of heads of government, who are not due to meet again until the New Year following last week’s summit in Brussels.
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