Brussels: Europe and the Arabs
"Candidates for ministers must undergo an examination," demanded the far-right Vlaams Belang party in Belgium, one of the European Union countries and where the institutions of the unified bloc are based. A statement issued by the party and we received a copy of it said, "Today, ministers and ministers of state are appointed by the king on the recommendation of the political parties. However, the Vlaams Belang party wants the House of Representatives to organize hearings with candidates before the appointments. "This would only increase the democratic nature of the government and keep candidate ministers who prove unsuitable out of the government," says Lodi Veerik, a member of parliament for the Vlaams Belang party.

Although the king appoints ministers and ministers of state, it is actually the leaders of the majority parties who nominate the ministers, who can then work in the House of Representatives after a vote of confidence.

"But holding hearings with candidate ministers would strengthen the democratic nature of the government, especially if unelected ministers are also part of the government," says Veerik. That is why the member of the House of Representatives has submitted a draft law and a proposal to amend the constitution to achieve this.
“Clarity on competence and knowledge”
“Hearings could provide more clarity on the competence and knowledge of the nominated government member in the policy area, as well as on personal independence,” explains Vierke. “If a government candidate is found to be unsuitable for the position, a majority of MEPs could still vote to remove him or her to avoid any further damage to the position.” Vierke sees his proposals as logical and points to the practice in the European Parliament: candidates for the post of European Commissioner have to demonstrate their independence and knowledge of the policy subject in the relevant committees before they are appointed.