Von der Leyen bis, commissioner hearings starting Monday: field week for the EU

The next one will be one memorable week for the EU. In addition to the Eurogroup/Ecofin meeting on Monday and Tuesday, the meeting of the European Political Community (EPC) and the informal European Council will take place in Budapest on Thursday and Friday. Mid-week there will also be the American presidential elections, the most important event of the week, which even in Brussels will be experienced with bated breath. It is so important for the EU that on Thursday evening the leaders will hold a dinner dedicated to the result of the US vote, after the EPC meeting and before the informal summit on competitiveness, where Mario Draghi is also expected. As if that wasn’t enough, from Monday until Thursday 7th and then again on Tuesday 12th November, the parliamentary hearings of the 26 candidate commissioners for von der Leyen bis will be held.

It’s a important political stepbecause Parliament, the only EU institution directly elected by the people, traditionally tends to exploit it to assert its authority towards other institutions. In Brussels, we remember well the treatment that MEPs reserved in 2019 for Sylvie Goulard, a Macronian candidate who was torpedoed after two hearings not because she was poorly qualified, but essentially out of revenge against the French president, who with the complicity of Angela Merkel he had skewered the Spitzenkandidaten one after the other, starting with the Bavarian Manfred Weber, today dominus of the EPP.

Il process to put the commissioners on the gridiron involves an initial audition lasting three hours. The commissioners-designate make an introductory statement lasting 15 minutes, followed by questions from the deputies. The designated commissioners have double the response time available for the application. Before the end of the hearing, the Commissioners-designate may make a short closing statement. Depending on the assigned portfolio, the designated commissioners are evaluated by a single commission or by several commissions together. Other commissions may also be invited to the hearing, who can intervene with questions. However, the final evaluation of the candidates lies solely with the coordinators of the political groups of the relevant commission or commissions.

The ball is in the hands of the group coordinators in the commissions

Immediately after the hearing, the president and representatives of the various commission groups meet to assess whether the designated commissioners are qualified both to be part of the college and to carry out the tasks assigned to them. Once the evaluation is completed, within 24 hours the coordinators send a confidential letter of recommendation, which is considered by the Conference of Committee Chairs and then forwarded to the Conference of Group Chairs (CoP in EU jargon).

The ball is firmly in the hands of the group coordinators. They are the ones who can approve or reject the designated commissioners, by consensus. If opinions differ, the support of coordinators of political groups representing at least two thirds of the members of the commission is necessary. If the coordinators do not reach a two-thirds majority to approve (or reject) the candidates, they have the option to ask the candidates for further information, with further written questions. They can also resume the confirmation hearing to clarify outstanding issues, for an hour and a half, subject to approval from the Conference of Presidents.

Subsequently, the coordinators can again approve or reject the designated commissioners, by a majority of at least two thirds. If even at this point they fail to reach this majority, then the president of the competent commission convenes a closed-door commission meeting, during which a secret ballot vote is taken, by simple majority, to recommend approval or not. of the candidates. Once all hearings have been completed, the Conference of Committee Chairs evaluates the outcome and transmits its conclusions to the CoP. The latter will proceed with the final evaluation and will declare the hearings closed on 21 November. Once the CoP has declared the procedure closed, the evaluation letters will be made public.

Auditions, we start with Sefcovic

After the end of the hearings, the President-elect of the Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, will present the entire college of commissioners and its program in the Chamber. A discussion with the deputies will then follow. Any political group or at least one twentieth of deputies (a low threshold) can present a motion for a resolution. The composition of the Commission as a whole must be approved by Parliament, by majority of the votes cast and by roll call (open vote). The vote is scheduled for the plenary on 25-28 November in Strasbourg. Once approved by Parliament, the Commission is formally appointed by the European Council, which decides by qualified majority.

Hearings will be held from 4 to 7 November for commissioners and 12 November for vice-presidents. It starts on Monday 4th, in the afternoon (2.30pm-5.30pm), with the Slovak Maros Sefcovic (Economic Security) in the Inta and Afco commissions, and with the Maltese Glenn Micallef in the Cult, followed in the evening (6.30-9.30pm) by the Luxembourg Christophe Hansen (Agriculture) in Agri and from the Greek Apostolos Tzitzikostas (Transport and tourism) in Tran. On Tuesday morning (9-12) the Irishman Michael McGrath (Justice) will be heard by the Libe, Imco and Juri commissions in a joint session; the Bulgarian Ekaterina Zaharieva (Research and innovation) from Itre. In the afternoon, the Danish Dan Joergensen (Energy and housing policies) will be heard in Itre and Empl, the Croatian Dubravka Suica (Mediterranean) from Afet. In the evening it will be the turn of the Swede Jessika Roswall (Environment) in the Envi and the Austrian Magnus Brunner (Internal Affairs and Migration) in the Libe.

On Wednesday 6th, in the morning the Belgian Hadja Lahbib (Crisis Management and Equality) will be heard by the Deve, Femm, Libe and Envi commissions, the Portuguese Maria Luis Albuquerque (Financial Services) in the Econ. In the afternoon, the Cypriot Kostas Kadis (Fishing) will be in Pech, while the Czech Jozef Sikela (International Partnerships) will be heard by Deve. In the evening, it will be the turn of the Lithuanian Andrius Kubilius (Defense and Space) in Afet and Itre and the Hungarian Oliver Varhelyi (Health) in Envi and Agri. On Thursday 7, in the morning, the Dutch Wopke Hoekstra (Climate) will be heard in the Envi, Itre and Econ commissions, while the Slovenian Marta Kos (Enlargement) will be heard in the Afet. In the afternoon, the Polish Piotr Serafin (Budget) will be in Budg and Cont, while the Latvian Valdis Dombrovskis (Economics and Simplification) will be heard in Econ and Juri.

Favorable calendar for Fitto

Finally, Tuesday 12 November will be the turn of the executive vice presidents. In the morning Raffaele Fitto (Cohesion and Reforms) will be heard in the Regi commission, while the Estonian Kaja Kallas (High Representative) will be in the Afet. In the afternoon the Romanian Roxana Minzatu (Work) will be in Empl and Cult, while the Frenchman Stéphane Séjourné will be ‘grilled’ by Itre, Imco, Envi and Econ together. In the evening it will be the turn of the Spanish Teresa Ribera (Clean Transition, Competition) in Envi, Econ and Itre and the Finnish Henna Virkkunen (Technological Sovereignty) in Itre and Imco. The order of the vice-presidents’ hearings was the subject of a political clash, resolved by the EPP by allying itself with the three right-wing groups, against the Socialists and the Greens, who would have preferred a different order.

The Greens, and not only them, would like to put Fitto, the ECR’s only candidate, in difficulty, forcing him to at least have a second hearing. However, the fact that Fitto was audited first and the Spanish Teresa Ribera last, on the 12th, put the Socialists in a difficult position. In fact, if they were to wage war on Fitto, then the retaliation would start on Ribera that same evening. The Spanish socialist has obtained very heavy mandates and for Pedro Sanchez’s government this is an undoubted success. Nicola Zingaretti, head of the PD delegation in Strasbourg, has already made it clear that for the Dem MEPs the national interest also counts, not just that of the party. So Fitto, even if he is from Fratelli d’Italia, is still the Italian commissioner.

If the socialist coordinator in Regi, who is a Spaniard, gives Fitto the green light, promotion at the first hearing for the commissioner will be assured, since, assuming that all the groups to the right of the EPP side in favor of the conservative commissioner, Popolari, Socialists plus the three right-wing groups have 29 members of the Regi, more than 28, two thirds of the 41 MEPs that compose it. The Italian and Spanish Socialists have converging interests, for different reasons, in the promotion of Fitto. The former, because they are well aware of the importance of the national interest (if not all, many). The latter, to prevent a left-handed shot from the Italian from causing a retaliation on Ribera. Whether it will go like this remains to be seen, because auditions can always take unexpected turns, but the political conditions for Fitto to be promoted at the first audition are all there.