Designated European Commissioner Kaja Kallas is seen during a first meeting with European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen in Brussels, Belgium, on Sept. 18, 2024. Credit: AP/John Thys
To the disappointment of mainstream parties, she has penciled in Meloni ally Raffaele Fitto as a new executive vice president — one of five — to oversee “cohesion policy,” which helps finance infrastructure projects with a big slice of the EU’s massive budget.
Former French Foreign Minister Stéphane Séjourné was made a VP and secured the industry portfolio. Spanish Socialist Teresa Ribera, another VP, has a powerful post combining the transition toward a green economy and competition policies.
Former Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas will be von der Leyen’s foreign policy chief. Ultimately, though, they will all answer to the president.
The first hurdle: confirmation hearings
Nominees are questioned for three hours by the leaders of committees and senior lawmakers most closely linked to their portfolios. The nominees must demonstrate general competence, a commitment to Europe, independence, and good communications skills.
Immediately after, an evaluation is made behind closed doors. Candidates must win a two-thirds majority vote. If they fall short, lawmakers can ask additional questions in writing or request a further 90-minute grilling.
Some candidates are deemed not good enough. Lawmakers might reject others as a show of strength. Three were vetoed in 2019. Sometimes portfolios are switched among the commissioners, or their responsibilities redefined, to satisfy the parliament’s demands.
The vote results should remain secret until the entire hearing process ends on Nov. 12. But given the high political stakes, lawmakers will probably leak the news. Any group that vetoes a candidate risks seeing their own knocked out in revenge.
Some appear more at risk than others
Von der Leyen’s EPP and the hard right ganged up to set the hearing agenda. As a result, the most controversial candidate — Italy’s Fitto — is the first of the six VPs to be questioned on the final day of hearings. Any mainstream lawmakers who target him risk seeing their favorite ousted in return.
One of the first candidates to make his case will be Glenn Micallef — the socialist nominee for youth, culture and sport — who hails from Malta, the EU’s smallest country. He’s been branded as a political lightweight, compared to the former ministers and premiers being questioned. His fate could set the tone.
Marta Kos, a liberal from Slovenia foreseen as the next enlargement commissioner, is inexperienced too. She’s also been criticized for being pro-Russian.
Oliver Varhelyi is Orbán’s man in Brussels. He’s been given the health and animal welfare portfolio. Lawmakers still seethe about a hot mic incident in which he referred to them as “idiots.” Some doubt the wisdom of putting him in charge of health after Orbán opted for Russian and Chinese-made vaccines rather than join the EU’s joint purchasing effort. But voting him down poses risks. Orbán has been at war with the commission and he could simply refuse to name a replacement, blocking the entire process.
Source link : http://www.bing.com/news/apiclick.aspx?ref=FexRss&aid=&tid=6727256295864e3f9af876626198761c&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.newsday.com%2Fnews%2Fnation%2Feu-commission-parliament-hearings-leyen-right-fitto-m34635&c=3329676004860450960&mkt=de-de
Author :
Publish date : 2024-11-03 00:21:00
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.
