European Parliament set to grill potential commissioners

A parade of European Union member state politicians will take turns in the hot seat over the next week. That's when parliamentarians in Brussels will grill the 26 individuals hoping to get top jobs as their respective country's commissioner, leading a portion of the European Commission's 32,000 EU employees.

Between November 4 and 12, each candidate will sit down for three hours of public questioning by representatives from each of the European Parliament's eight political blocs. It won't be until lawmakers have approved all candidates that the European Commission, under the leadership of reappointed President Ursula von der Leyen, can take up its work on December 1.

Parliamentarians have already assented to the wishes of member states by approving von der Leyen for another term, meaning she no longer has to face questioning.

What can be asked?

In principle, anything. Parliamentarians prepare questions about a candidate's professional experience, their financial interests and gaps in their resumes, as well as their moral and political views.

The object is to pinpoint any candidate's weaknesses. Parliamentarians also judge how candidates comport themselves during questioning: whether they are nervous and stutter; or give clear, confident and direct answers.

Questioning sessions are conducted according to strict rules, with clearly allotted speaking times for questioners. After each session, representatives from respective committees take two-thirds-majority votes on whether a candidate has passed the test.

What happens if a candidate is rejected?

If a candidate fails to live up to expectations, parliamentarians can request that the rejected candidate's home country send a new nominee to Brussels. The replacement candidate is then also subjected to three hours of questions.

Parliament has used its power to reject European Commission candidates six times in the past 20 years. The first, archconservative Italian Rocco Buttiglione, who labeled homosexuals "not criminals, but sinners," failed to make the cut in 2004.

France's Sylvie Goulard, meanwhile, was forced out in 2019 due to her ethically questionable ties to a US think tank.

Who are the shakiest candidates this time around?

More than any, Left and Liberal parliamentarians have their sights on Hungary's Oliver Varhelyi, who has been serving as commissioner for EU enlargement but is set to be demoted to lead the portfolio on health and animal welfare. Varhelyi is seen as a loyal ally of Hungary's right-wing extremist prime minister, Viktor Orban.

The EU Parliament's three right-wing populist groups could decide to object to Belgium's liberal candidate, Hadja Lahbib.

Bulgaria's Ekaterina Zaharieva could also fail to win approval. The former foreign minister is currently caught up in a scandal at home involving the sale of Bulgarian passports.

Malta's candidate, Glenn Micallef, may also be looking at rejection. Several parliamentarians have said Micallef — chief of staff to Maltese Prime Minister Robert Abela — has too little political experience to be EU commissioner for education, youth, sport and culture.

Italian right-wing-extremist candidate Raffaele Fitto, on the other hand, will survive unscathed. Parliamentarians may pepper him with tough questions, but they won't dare shoot down Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's chosen candidate. Meloni has shown herself to be exceedingly pro-European in Brussels, for the most part successfully shedding her post-fascist reputation.

What role is Orban playing behind the scenes?

If European lawmakers flag Hungary's candidate, Orban could delay the swearing-in of the EU's top bureaucrats by weeks or even months. If he can't find a replacement or sends others that are subsequently rejected, the EU Commission would remain incomplete and no vote could be held to allow it to take up its work.

Orban has a reputation for being anti-EU and relishes his role as a disrupter. He has long believed that Brussels needs fundamental change, saying the European Commission acts like the Communist Politburo of the former Soviet Union.

The EU has a current budget freeze on several billion euros earmarked for Hungary, because Orban continues to ignore the European Court of Justice as he expands his authoritarian grip on power at home. 

What's new about the new EU Commission?

Von der Leyen has come up with new profiles for each posting in her second term leading the EU Commission. Less emphasis has been put on tackling climate change head on, and instead the focus will be on strengthening the EU economy while transitioning to climate-neutral production.

New departments include defense, animal protection, housing and the Mediterranean. Mediterranean? Yes, Croatian Commissioner Dubravka Suica will be tasked with looking after relations with North African neighbors on the ocean's southern shore, in order to expand shared economic prosperity and security. Other commissioners will be responsible for fishing, ocean waters and tourism.

How much money does a commissioner make?

The job of European commissioner is not unattractive. It can be worth it to suffer public questioning at the hands of parliamentarians: the base salary before taxes is roughly €26,000 ($28,000) a month.

The president of the Commission gets €31,800, with no bonus. For comparison, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz earns about €32,000 a month, albeit, with bonuses.

This article was originally written in German.