Strasbourg, 15/12/2009 (Agence Europe) - The European Parliament has finalised a timetable for the hearings of commissioners-designate, to be held from 11 January 2010. Meeting during the afternoon of Tuesday 15 December, the conference of chairmen of parliamentary committees established the order in which the commissioners-designate would go before the relevant committees. This proposal is to be confirmed on Thursday by the conference of presidents of political groups, which will define the exact arrangements for these hearings and settle issues still outstanding, including the choice of the leading committees such as those under Michel Barnier (IMCO or ECON), Viviane Reding (LIBE, JURI or FEMM) or Algirdas Šemeta (CONT, ECON or IMCO). The organisation of the hearings is as follows:
Monday 11 January. Catherine Ashton in the post of High Representative and Vice-President of the Commission, will start the hearings before the foreign affairs committee on Monday from 1: 00 p.m. to 4: 00 p.m. (associated committees DEVE, INTA, CONT, AFCO). At the same time, Janusz Lewandowski will be before the budgets committee (CONT and AGRI). From 4: 30 p.m. to 7: 30 p.m., the development committee (AFET and INTA) will hear Andris Piebalgs and the committee on economic and monetary affairs will hear Olli Rehn.
Tuesday 12 January. - From 9: 00 a.m. to 12: 00 p.m.: Karel De Gucht will be before the international trade committee (AFET and DEVE) and Algirdas Šemeta before the budgetary control committee (ECON and IMCO); - from 1: 00 p.m. to 4: 00 p.m.: Štefan Füle will be heard by the foreign affairs committee (DEVE and INTA) and Viviane Reding the committee on legal affairs (LIBE, FEMM, EMPL, IMCO, CULT and PETi); - from 4: 00 p.m. to 7: 30 p.m.: Rumiana Jeleva will be before the development committee (AFET and ENV) and Joaquin Almunia before the committee on economic and monetary affairs (TRAN).
Wednesday 13 January. - From 1: 00 p.m. to 4.00 p.m.: Janez Potoènik will be before the environment, public health and food safety committee, and Lászl´Andor before the committee on employment and social affairs (CULT and FEMM); - from 4: 30 p.m. to 7: 30 p.m.: Máire Geoghegan Quinn will be heard by the committee on industry, research and energy (CULT) and Michel Barnier by the internal market and consumer protection committee (ECON and JURI).
Thursday 14 January. - From 9: 00 a.m. to 12: 00 p.m.: Günther H. Oettinger will be heard by the industry committee (ENVI) and Siim Kallas by the transport and tourism committee; - from 1: 00 p.m. to 4: 00 p.m.: Androulla Vassiliou will be before the culture committee (EMPL and ITRE) and John Dalli the environment committee (IMCO and AGRI); - from 4: 30 p.m. to 7: 30 p.m: Neelie Kroes before the industry committee (CULT, IMCO and JURI) and Johannes Hahn the regional development committee.
Friday 15 January. - From 9: 00 a.m. to 12: 00 p.m.: Connie Hedegaard will be before the environment committee (ITRE and TRAN) and Dacian Ciolos before the committee on agriculture.
Monday 18 January (in Strasbourg): - From 6: 00 p.m. to 9: 00 p.m: Antonio Tajani will be heard by the industry committee (ENVI, IMCO and TRAN) and Maroš Šefèovic before the committee on constitutional affairs (CONT, BUDG, JURI and PETI).
Tuesday 19 January (in Strasbourg): From 3: 00 p.m. to 6: 00 p.m. or from 4: 00 p.m. to 7: 00 p.m. (to be confirmed): Cecilia Malmström will be heard by the committee on civil liberties, justice and internal affairs (EMPL and FEMM) and, finally, Maria Damanaki before the fisheries committee (TRAN).
With a view to these hearings, the representatives of the political groups have stressed the need for transparency without, however, giving an opinion on the candidates. It is necessary to avoid any “witch hunting” EPP Group President Joseph Daul said. “Hearings are the most effective way to see whether someone is competent”, his counterpart at the S&D Group, Martin Schulz, said, saying prejudgement would considerably devalue the instrument. “We want everything to be on the table before the hearings” to be able to raise the necessary questions, stressed Daniel Cohn-Bendit, Co-President of the Greens-EFA. The leader of the ALDE group, Guy Verhofstadt, did not wish to give his view of the candidates either but decided to prepare them as well as possible for the test ahead of them, explaining his group's expectations for the next five years. Each commissioner-designate will therefore receive a strategic programme that takes up the priorities of the European Liberals and Democrats for the commissioner's sphere of competence. (A.B./transl.jl)