“We are now beginning an intense and necessary period of parliamentary scrutiny of the new College of Commissioners. Members will carefully examine the candidacies of all Commissioners-designate in public hearings. The aim is to complete this vetting process as efficiently as possible. However, the MEPs will not cut corners. Our citizens are counting on us,” said President Roberta Metsola after the meeting.

The presentation of today paves the way for the start of the confirmation hearing process, once Parliament receives all the necessary documentation.

The Committee on Legal Affairs will scrutinise the declarations of interests of the Commissioners-designate. This is an essential precondition for the holding of the confirmation hearings.

The Conference of Presidents will organise the confirmation hearings based on a recommendation of the Conference of Committee Chairs. Each Commissioner-designate will be invited to appear before the appropriate committee or committees for a single confirmation hearing, lasting three hours. However, in the case of particularly large or complex portfolios involving more than one committee, the confirmation hearing may last for up to four hours. The confirmation hearings will be livestreamed.

Parliament will evaluate Commissioners-designate based on their general competence, European commitment and personal independence, as well as assess their knowledge of their prospective portfolio and their communication skills.

The committee coordinators will evaluate the individual Commissioners-designate after the confirmation hearing and prepare a single evaluation letter for each Commissioner-designate. To be approved, coordinators representing a majority of at least 2/3 of the committee members belonging to a political group, should approve the Commissioner-designate. If this majority cannot be reached, more information can be requested by additional written questions, or by a resumed confirmation hearing, lasting for 1,5 hours.
Following successful confirmation hearings, the President-elect will present the College of Commissioners and their programme at Parliament’s plenary, followed by a debate, and a vote to elect or reject the Commission as a whole, by a majority of the votes cast (by roll call).

The College of Commissioners forms the Commission, which is an EU institution with the exclusive right of legislative initiative and important executive powers in areas such as competition and external trade. It is the main executive body of the European Union and oversees the application of EU law and the respect of treaties by the Member States. The College of Commissioners is composed of one commissioner from each Member State.

Source of information: European Parliament