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EU commissioners should run in election without stepping down, proposes Juncker

Xinhua, November 23, 2016 Adjust font size:

Commissioners of the European Union (EU) should be allowed to take part in European Parliament elections without having to take a leave of absence, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker suggested on Wednesday.

"In the future, like it is common practice in all our member states, I want the Members of the Commission to be able to stand as candidates in European elections without having to step down from their tasks," Junker said in a letter to European Parliament President Martin Schulz seeking the parliament's views.

This proposal reflects current practices in the bloc's member states which allow members of their governments to run for European or national elections while continuing to fulfill their executive tasks, the Commission explained in a press release.

Under current rules, an EU commissioner participating actively in electoral campaigns must leave the commission and be replaced by another commissioner. Enditem