Juncker to head secret service control commission?

(CS/CBu) Luxembourg's Jean-Claude Juncker could be the next president of the secret service's parliamentary control commission, despite the SREL's role in his ousting from government.

According to informal practice, the opposition parties are allowed to chair several parliamentary control commissions – among them not only accounts, petitions and budgets, but also the secret service.

Regulations also foresee that the secret service commission can only be chaired by the head of a parliamentary group. Since Juncker was voted opposition leader by the CSV earlier this week, this theoretically makes him a top candidate for the post.

The new government could, however, abandon custom and decide to chair the commission itself.

François Bausch of “déi Gréng” has been president of the commission since 2009. He was one of Juncker's harshest critics in the secret service scandal, which caused the demise of the CSV-LSAP government.

While Juncker was accused of neglecting the SREL, the CSV had repeatedly said the control commission had also failed in its task to supervise the secret service. Bausch, meanwhile, had pressed for Juncker's personal responsibility to be recorded in a final report on the affair, compiled by a separate fact-finding commission.

The presidency of other Chamber of commissions will also be up for debate. For example, Paul-Henri Meyers of the CSV has until now chaired the “Commission des Institutions et de la Révision Constitutionnelle”. Widely respected by both parties as an expert in the field, it could be a sign of good-will for the new government to leave him in the post.

Decisions will only be finalised once the new government and the full parliament are in session.