The coordinators of the relevant European Parliament committees considered on Wednesday 9 October that the answers to a second round of written questions sent by the Commissioner-designate for the Market, Sylvie Goulard, were insufficient and called her for a catch-up examination.
The Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection (IMCO) and the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE) will therefore hear from the French liberal on Thursday 10 October, from 9.30 am to 11 am, in a second hearing. The attempt by the S&D and GUE/NGL groups was unsuccessful.
This will be followed immediately by a meeting of the coordinators of the two committees to review and evaluate the Commissioner's performance, taking into account her written replies (see EUROPE 12344/5). Several meetings were reportedly considered to take the decision, which is expected by Thursday afternoon at the latest.
Ms Goulard will have to clarify once again her position on the two cases that mar her candidacy, and in particular on what she intends to do in the event of an indictment. The Commissioner-designate did not fully convince the EPP, Greens/EFA and GUE/NGL groups by replying in writing that she did not automatically consider resigning from her post in the event of indictment (see EUROPE 12344/5). The S&D group's position is less clear on this issue.
Another contentious issue, which seems to be of particular concern to the German EPP delegation (two members of which are coordinators in the two parliamentary committees), is the very size of the Commissioner-designate's portfolio, which would include the digital sector, the internal market, industry, space and defence.
It is reportedly being considered whether space and defence policies should be handed over to the future European Commissioner-designate for Transport. Originally granted to the Commissioner-designate by Romania, the transport portfolio could revert to the one designated by Hungary, Oliver Varhelyi.
The Hungarian Prime Minister, Viktor Orbán, was reportedly not very excited about this portfolio, preferring to use the portfolio dedicated to Neighbourhood and Enlargement, originally granted to his envoy Mr László Trócsányi, before he was rejected. But he could accept an “enhanced” portfolio. However, this decision would be a terrible setback for France, for which space policy is an issue of political and economic importance.
According to another source, responsibility for policies related to the media and the audiovisual sector could be removed from Ms Goulard's portfolio and handed over to Bulgarian Mariya Gabriel, Commissioner-designate for Innovation and Youth. This is reportedly an express request from German MEPs.
On the Romanian side, Prime Minister Viorica Dăncilă confirmed on Monday 7 October the appointment of Dan Nica as Commissioner-designate. But the Romanian government is facing a vote of no confidence in Bucharest, the outcome of which could change the situation. (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)