EGN NEWS DESK
During his listening to Wednesday, Várhelyi confronted a number of vital questions on his stance on ladies’s rights and abortion. He repeatedly mentioned he’s an “ally” of girls, however that abortion lays exterior of EU competencies.
“I’m deeply anxious to listen to a possible well being commissioner say that abortion isn’t a medical query,” Greens MEP Matthieu mentioned. “He seems unaware or unbothered that numerous ladies are dying for being denied entry to reproductive and sexual well being companies.”
Just earlier than the listening to, Commission President von der Leyen met with the chair of the Socialists and Democrats, Iratxe García, the chief of center-right European People’s Party (EPP) Manfred Weber, and Renew Europe’s boss Valérie Hayer, an EU official confirmed.
The official mentioned it was to take inventory “of the hearings in progress.”
Also previous to the listening to, Renew floated the thought of stripping again Várhelyi’s powers as well being commissioner. “Várhelyi going simply via with competences over vaccines or reproductive rights received’t be supported by Renew,” a senior Renew official mentioned.
This thought was not mentioned in the course of the assembly, in accordance with an MEP and a parliamentary assistant current within the room.
MEPs would want to demand a change of powers within the analysis letter they ship to von der Leyen after assessing Várhelyi’s solutions to the extra questions and making a closing determination on his candidacy.
Additional reporting by Barbara Moens.
