European Commissioner for Climate Change and Energy, Miguel Arias Cañete, was this Tuesday at the European Parliaments’ Legal Affairs Committee to answer questions from MEPS regarding the appearance of his wife name in the Panama Papers scandal.
In the meeting, held in closed doors, the former Spanish minister addressed questions sent previously by the parliamentary groups and at there was a round of questions where Paloma Lopez, MEP from Izquierda Unida, confronted the Commissioner about his involvement in the Acuamed corruption case. She recalled the official testimonies from two people who used to work with the Commissioner when he was still Minister in Spain, exposing the direct orders they received from him to commit irregularities. Cañete avoided to comment on that and only answered three basic questions, never leaving the prepared script insisting that he did not commit any irregularities, that he sold all his shares to a partner when he took office and that he has a separation of property with his wife so her activities don’t affect him.
Paloma Lopez also explained that he was called to this Legal Affairs Committee and not to the special committee created for the Panama Papers because the European Popular Party blocked that option, but the GUE/NGL will keep insisting that he must give explanations to that special committee. For Paloma Lopez, Miguel Arias Cañete should resign immediately because the Acuamed case itself is already reason enough for his dismissing, since he is not complying with the code of conduct required by the European Parliament.
Maite Mola, Vice-President of the European Left, considers that Miguel Arias Cañete doesn’t have any conditions to remain in office and urges the European Commission to request the resignation of the Spanish Commissioner, as his permanence in office only reinforces the disbelief citizens have in the European institutions. For EL Vice-President, Cañete should have never been appointed in the first place and after such flagrant involvement in corruption cases, looking aside only shows the disrespect the EU institutions have towards the European people.
