Last Updated on 05/09/2024 by Arun jain
BRUSSELS – Even when you’re trying to put together the European Commission, there’s no escaping bureaucracy.
Complicated calendars and prolonged conflicts of interest for commissioner nominees have dampened hopes for a November launch.
Now, the start date of the new commission is likely to be delayed until early December, eight EU lawmakers, parliamentary officials and European diplomats told POLITICO.
The complex inner workings of the European Parliament’s schedule are a rude awakening for Brussels bureaucrats returning from summer vacation, with the start of the next commission now close to Christmas, officials said.
The European Parliament is in no rush to sign off on the next group of European commissioners or to start work on key portfolios such as competition, defense and trade, even as Russia’s war in Ukraine and the looming US election require an EU executive. Work to keep up.
The original slate of hearings expected in late September was “overly optimistic,” said a senior parliamentary official who, like others quoted in the story, was granted anonymity to speak freely.
The official pointed out that the delay was, in part, due to Parliament’s complicated travel calendar (MEPs are set to travel to Strasbourg for the last week of September and two weeks in October).
Hearings are usually held in Brussels and moving them to Strasbourg would be a logistical nightmare, the senior official pointed out.
“There is no rush,” the official added, arguing that both Parliament and the nominees would benefit from the extra time. “The nominee wants as many days as possible to prepare.”
The potential delay is yet another setback for European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who is struggling to achieve her goal of a gender-balanced institution. So far, there have been only 9 female nominees and many EU capitals are resisting pressure to replace their male nominees with women. Earlier this week, for example, the Slovenian government publicly reiterated K Tomasz Vesel will remain Ljubljana’s choice.
“It is up to the European Parliament to set the schedule for the hearings,” said Eric Memmer, chief spokesman for the European Commission.
After the European Parliament elections in early June, Brussels hoped that the new commission would be operational as soon as possible.
The establishment of a new commission is always a time-consuming and cumbersome process, as the various European capitals have to send their nominees to von der Leyen, who is now dividing the portfolio between the candidates. However, there was hope that a new commission would emerge On November 1, Before the US election.
But that timing now seems virtually impossible as each Commissioner Bar von der Leyen needs to face hours of grilling by MEPs, and those hearings are not likely to start until mid-October. Parliament had initially hoped to hold the hearing in late September.
That means a final confirmation vote on the entire commission won’t take place until a full session of parliament in the last week of November, pushing the kick-off date to December in the best-case scenario.
And that’s regardless of whether the European Parliament has voted down one or more commissioners. If a candidate (or candidates) is rejected, the country in question has to send an alternative, which faces its own grilling in parliament.
The next step is for von der Leyen to present his new team and their portfolio to the leadership of the parliament, penciled in for September 11. Only then will the European Parliament select the dates for the hearings.
“Parliament is ready to start the hearing process as soon as President von der Leyen presents the proposed framework and portfolios,” European Parliament deputy spokesperson Delphine Collard said.
That process is complicated. Once the list of commissioners is confirmed, Parliament’s Legal Affairs Committee (known as JURI) is required to screen their financial declarations, looking for potential conflicts of interest. If a potential problem is found, the candidate may be called for a separate hearing and committee members may reject the nominee.
The head of the German Socialist delegation, René Repassi, said, “This is an act of investigation, given that we have enough time, given that the citizens will hold us accountable if we are sloppy.” and member of the Legal Affairs Committee.
“The old schedule that was discussed seemed to me too ambitious with the risk of the first phase [conflict of interest screening] would be too superficial,” he added.
Repassi, who said he also initially expected to start the hearings by the end of September, acknowledged that parliament would require them to start later. “It is an impossible task [to start before]” he said.
Once the legal affairs committee is formed, other committees take over. They will send written questions to nominees, who will send answers that form the basis of individual grillings.
“You know the European Parliament. Their calendar is the holy grail,” said an official.
Camille Gijs and Stuart Lau contributed reporting.
Post The European Parliament’s scheduling fiasco risks delaying the Commissioner’s hearing appeared first Politico.