New EU Justice Commissioner: Martine Reicherts takes up office in the European Commission - Main contents
European Commission
Statement
Brussels, 18 July 2014
New EU Justice Commissioner: Martine Reicherts i takes up office in the European Commission
Following the election of Viviane Reding i to the European Parliament, I have been called upon by the Luxembourgish government to serve as EU Commissioner for Justice, Fundamental Rights and Citizenship, in the College of the European Commission. The European Parliament has elected me on 16 July 2014, following an exchange of views with the LIBE, JURI and FEMM committees in Strasbourg on 14 July.
It is an honour to be the Luxembourger who will succeed Viviane Reding and precede Jean-Claude Juncker i, President-elect of the European Commission. I am firmly committed to working with diligence, transparency and collegiality to safeguard the European fundamental values and the rights of EU citizens.
During the past 5 years, the area of EU justice policy has made great strides to the construction of a true European area of Justice at the service of citizens and businesses. The Charter of Fundamental Rights has been applied across all areas of EU activity, and proposals to safeguard the rights of citizens in criminal proceedings, the protection of personal data and gender equality in public companies have underlined the EU's commitment to its citizens. At the same time, the Commission has put forward a number of initiatives in the civil and commercial area to help businesses across the European Union take full advantage of our Single Market.
Much has been achieved, but more needs to be done. We need to keep working to ensure that what we do in the field of justice brings even more tangible benefits to European citizens and businesses. They need to feel confident that their rights will be upheld wherever they are in the EU.
Our fundamental rights and values are precious. And they are not a given - they need to be protected and defended, every day. I stand ready to put all my energy into this task. I will do so in the closest possible cooperation with the European Parliament and the Member States.
Contacts :
Joshua Salsby (+32 2 297 24 59)
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