“ June 13 : your voice in Europe -
European Parliament Elections 1999 ”. Spanish poster in Galician | © Parlamento Europeo - Oficina en
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called how those points were central in the hearing he had before Parliament prior to his appointment in 2003 as President of the European Central Bank ( ECB ).
Such hearings were an important legacy of this period when the ECB was being established . Many MEPs were critical of the independence of the ECB as established by the Treaty , but that Treaty granted the European Parliament a significant role by explicitly establishing the ECB ’ s accountability to Parliament . This responsibility fostered trust and a close relationship , allowing Parliament subsequently to influence monetary decisions through regular appearances by the ECB President before the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs and in plenary sessions , utilising a form of soft power .
Resignation of the Santer Commission
Less than three months before the 1999 European elections , the Santer Commission resigned in anticipation of a vote of censure in the European Parliament 10 . This right of censure was enshrined in Article 24 of the 1951 Treaty establishing the European Coal
10 . See M . Shackleton , ‘ The fall of the Santer Commission ’, The contribution of the European Parliament to the European project , Historical Archives of the EU , 1 July 2023 .
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