14/09/2023 (Agence Europe) – Commissioner-designate Wopke Hoekstra will be heard by the European Parliament’s Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI) on 2 October in Strasbourg. During this three-hour hearing, scheduled between 6.30pm and 9.30pm, MEPs will examine his suitability to become European Commissioner for Climate Action, a controversial appointment (see EUROPE 13242/6) due to his past links with the Shell oil company and a lack of experience in climate policy. The following morning, Maroš Šefčovič, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission, will be interviewed about his expanded role in the ‘European Green Deal’. These appointments come after the departure of Frans Timmermans (see EUROPE 13234/3), whose duties were reassigned by the President, Ursula von der Leyen, placing Mr Hoekstra under the leadership of Mr Šefčovič (see EUROPE 13243/10). (NP)