Parliament plans marathon week of commissioner hearings - Main contents
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - The European Parliament is planning to cram the individual hearings of the 26 would-be EU commissioners into seven days in January, grilling up to six candidates a day and at times late into the evening.
Beginning on 11 January, the three-hour sessions running every weekday until the following Tuesday (19 January) are supposed to test the nominees on their knowledge of the dossier they have been assigned, with some novices to their area.
Among the first under the spotlight - and one of those likely to attract the most scrutiny and interest - is Catherine Ashton, the EU's foreign policy chief. She was chosen last month by EU leaders after having been the European trade commissioner for less than a year and never having held elected office.
While MEPs have been signalling they are not planning to make a big deal out of her relative inexperience, they have said they will question her closely on her plans for the new diplomatic service, which she will oversee. Of particular interest to the parliament is securing democratic oversight over the body as well as some element of control over aspects of the budget.
Other commissioners with hot portfolios include Olli Rehn in charge of economic and monetary affairs, Joaquin Almunia in charge of competition, Dacian Ciolos in charge of agriculture and Janusz Lewandowski overseeing the budget.
The last two dossiers will be interwined as the EU starts its negotiations on its multi-annual (2014-2021) budget and seeks to overhaul its farm policy. Mr Ciolos' answers on the future of the money-eating Common Agricultural Policy will be carefully watched, with the Francophile Romanian seen as close to farmer-friendly France.
The possible extent of Paris' influence is also likely to be a feature of Michel Barnier's hearing. The French man has been put in charge of the internal market, including financial services, something that has led to an outcry in the City of London, home the country's money markets.
Working in the commissioners' favour is the fact that they will have had relatively long - about six weeks - to do their homework.
However, MEPs will have also spent the intervening time looking for aspects in the nominees' CVs that work against them.
Policy and substance
Into the mix comes the internal machinations of the parliament with the different political groups keener to highlight the weakness of candidates not in their political families. The centre-right has previously indicated that it will be looking out for any commissioners with a communist past.
More recently, however, the tone has been conciliatory from the EU assembly suggesting that if any commissioners come acropper it will be due to a lack of knowledge of their dossier, although the deputies are also keen to note that the hearings may throw up "surprises."
The socialists have been keen to suggest that they can get portfolios swapped if needed. However, the centre-right commission president Jose Manuel Barroso, whose political family is the largest in the parliament, dismissed this idea and said they should be concentrating rather on "matters of policy (and) of substance."
He said that he was prepared to listen to their comments but pointed out that it was the prerogative of the president to choose how the commission is organised internally.
Mr Barroso was wrong-footed in 2004 when MEPs caused the withdrawal of one candidate and a portfolio swap between two others. He is keen to avoid a repeat of this experience, particularly as the commission will already have been through three months in caretaker status following difficulties with the implementation of the EU's new set of institutional rules.
If all goes as tightly planned, the parliament will vote on the commission as a whole on 26 January. The college set-up then needs to be approved by a qualified majority of member states meaning the executive will probably take up the reins in February.
European Parliament Committee hearings of Barroso Commission II
Monday 11 January 2010
13.00-16.00
Poland - Janusz Lewandowski (EPP) - Budget, Budgets Committee
United Kingdom - Catherine Ashton (PES) - EU foreign policy chief, Foreign Affairs Committee
16.30-19.30
Finland - Olli Rehn (ELDR) - Economic and Monetary Affairs, Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee
Latvia - Andris Piebalgs (EPP) - Development, Development Committee
Tuesday 12 January
9.00-12.00
Belgium - Karel De Gucht (ELDR) - Trade, International Trade Committee
Lithuania - Algirdas Šemeta (EPP) - Taxation and Customs Union, Audit and Anti-Fraud, Budgetary Control Committee
13.00-16.00
Czech Republic - Stefan Fuele (PES) - Enlargement and Neighbourhood Policy, Foreign Affairs Committee
Luxembourg - Viviane Reding (EPP) - Justice, Fundamental Rights and Citizenship, Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs Committee, Legal Affairs Committee and Women's Rights and Gender Equality Committee
16.30-19.30
Bulgaria - Rumiana Jeleva (EPP) - International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response, Development Committee
Spain - Joaquín Almunia (PES) - Competition, Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee
Wednesday 13 January
13.00-16.00
Slovenia - Janez Potocnik (ELDR) - Environment, Environment, Public Health and Food Safety Committee
Hungary - László Andor (PES) - Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, Employment and Social Affairs Committee
16.30-19.30
Ireland - Maire Geoghegan Quinn (ELDR) - Research, Innovation and Science, Industry, Research and Energy Committee
France - Michel Barnier (EPP) - Internal Market and Services, Internal Market and Consumer Protection Committee and Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee
Thursday 14 January
9.00-12.00
Estonia - Siim Kallas (ELDR) - Transport, Transport and Tourism Committee
Germany - Günther Oettinger (EPP) - Energy, Industry, Research and Energy Committee
13.00-16.00
Malta - John Dalli (EPP) - Health and Consumer Policy, Environment, Public Health and Food Safety Committee
Cyprus - Androulla Vassiliou (ELDR) - Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth, Culture and Education Committee
16.30-19.30
Austria - Johannes Hahn (EPP) - Regional policy, Regional Development Committee
The Netherlands - Neelie Kroes (ELDR) - Digital Agenda, Industry, Research and Energy Committee
Friday 15 January
9.00-12.00
Romania - Dacian Ciolos (EPP) - Agriculture, Agriculture and Rural Development Committee
Denmark - Connie Hedegaard (EPP) - Climate Action, Environment, Public Health and Food Safety Committee
Monday 18 January
18.00-21.00
Italy - Antonio Tajani (EPP) - Industry and Entrepreneurship, Industry, Research and Energy Committee
Slovakia - Maros Sefcovic (PES) - Institutional Affairs and Administration, Constitutional Affairs Committee
Tuesday 19 January
9.00-12.00
Sweden - Cecilia Malmström (ELDR) - Home Affairs, Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs Committee
Greece - Maria Damanaki (PES) - Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Fisheries Committee