Brussels, 21/01/2010 (Agence Europe) - The European Parliament vote approving the new European Commission (Barroso II) will, indeed, be held in Strasbourg on 9 February - on condition, of course, that the new Bulgarian commissioner-designate, Kristalina Georgieva (Humanitarian Aid), successfully negotiates her hearing with the development committee. The EP Conference of Presidents discovered on Thursday 21 January that all the other 25 commissioners-designate, including Olli Rehn, Neelie Kroes and Algirdas Semeta the outcome of whose hearings was still unknown on Wednesday evening (see EUROPE 10060), have been approved by the parliamentary committees which interviewed them. Fears of EPP reprisals against one of the socialist or liberal candidates proved, then, to be groundless, no doubt in part to spare further problems for Commissioner President José Manuel Barroso, who happens to be a member of the EPP. The agreement among the political groups allowed EP President Jerzy Buzek, on Thursday afternoon, to confirm the dates of 3 and 9 February. In the meantime, Barroso met Georgieva late on Thursday afternoon. There was no longer any doubt that he would accept her nomination (replacing Rumiana Jeleva who withdrew on 19 January, see EUROPE 10059) and give her the humanitarian aid portfolio. The development committee was due to send Georgieva its questionnaire on Friday in order to prepare for the hearing on 3 February. (H.B./transl.rt)