Brussels, 03/10/2014 (Agence Europe) - A highly sensitive and critical exercise for the European Parliament, which gets to flex its muscles in front of the member states, the first hearings of the commissioners-designate of the Juncker team, which were held between 29 September and 2 October, kept all of their promises and gave some of the candidates a few cold sweats. After the first week, five candidates (of the 21 heard so far) have been asked back for further questions. Jonathan Hill, UK Commissioner for Financial Stability and Financial Services, was the first to take a beating at the hands of the Parliament. As well as having to reply to 23 extra written questions by 6 October, he will have to meet the MEPs again for an exchange of views early next week on a few subject areas on which he appeared too vague. France's Pierre Moscovici, for Economic and Financial Affairs, Customs and Taxation, escaped a second hearing by the skin of his teeth and ultimately managed to save himself through final negotiations between the political groups. He now just has to reply in writing to nine written questions by Monday, but the German MEPs of the CDU are reported still to have grave misgivings about him.
Other concerns: Vera Jourova of the Czech Republic will have to answer no fewer than 32 written questions, as will Tibor Navrascics, who also came under attack on Wednesday from certain MEPs over his links to Viktor Orban, the Hungarian prime minister who is regularly at odds with the EU over fundamental rights issues. The commissioner-designate for culture, education and citizenship was handed just six written questions, but some of them focus on key issues, such as the Hungarian law on the media and its possible conflict with the values of the EU. Jourova visibly fell short of the MEPs' expectations and will have to clarify her intentions over both the Safe Harbour agreement (personal data of Europeans managed by American companies), which Viviane Reding promised to have amended by the United States, and on freedom of movement, which has come under attack from David Cameron.
Lastly, the other candidate in hot water is unquestionably Spain's Miguel Arias Canete, nominated for climate and energy, and who came under sustained fire on 1 October over his relations with the oil industry and his brother-in-law, which could be the cause of various conflicts of interest. The MEPs are waiting for a new legal assessment of the Spaniard's situation and his declaration of financial interests. In parallel to these candidates, other commissioners-designate had a few uncomfortable moments, among them Sweden's Cecilia Malsmtröm, for trade, who had to be confirmed in a vote. The current home affairs commissioner kicked off the hearings with a veritable quid pro quo regarding her written answers to the MEPs. Fortunately for Jean-Claude Juncker, some of the candidates went down extremely positively: such was the case with Maros Sefcovic for transport, Phil Hogan for agriculture (although a vote was called for), Poland's Elzbieta Bienkowska for the single market and Kristalina Georgieva for budget and human resources, to name but a few.
EPP/S&D warfare
Has this first week had President Jean-Claude Juncker worried? Officially, the answer is no, as the president has stressed to his spokesperson that he found all of his candidates' performances extremely satisfactory. Additionally, a number of sources have indicated that the Commission sees no justification for Lord Hill's second hearing. At this stage, therefore, all is peaceful and the Commission president is not yet looking at the possibility of changing any portfolios or making any other changes. In the past, it has been pointed out, many commissioners-designate have been subjected to an additional questions procedure before been confirmed in their position - this was the case with Viviane Reding - or even called to attend a second hearing. Juncker is nonetheless following the situation extremely closely and is in 24-hour contact with the Parliament and its components, according to a source. And it is not until after the final hearing, that of the Dutch commissioner Frans Timmermans on Tuesday 7 October, that all conclusions will be drawn with the President of the European Parliament, Martin Schulz. It is also at that time that any changes will be decided upon.
However, Juncker will still have to put together a team with elements which are not necessarily rational, and he may have courted controversy by making some fairly unconventional appointments. The situation was undeniably tense on Wednesday 1 and Thursday 2 October at the hearings of Canete and Moscovici, breaking the tacit ceasefire between the EPP and the PES. The European Conservatives had threatened the Social Democrats if the Spaniard was challenged, with the target of these reprisals being the icon of the Social Democrats, Pierre Moscovici. The fate of the two men is believed to be so interconnected that the votes will both be held on the same day. The French Socialists have described the situation as blackmail. However, the S&D is also reported by several media sources to have threatened to bring down the entire Juncker Commission if Moscovici is rejected. Nor will next week be especially restful for Juncker: the hearing of Slovenia's Alenka Bratusek is scheduled for Monday evening and is already highly controversial, due to her self-nomination as commissioner. (SP)