Confirmation hearings of the Commissioners-designate: A decisive step in the investiture process

Summary:

The confirmation hearings of the Commissioners-designate before the European Parliament's committees play a vital role in informing Parliament before it decides on the proposed composition of the College of Commissioners. Ahead of the autumn 2024 hearings, Parliament has adapted the rules for the process, which will apply for the members of the second von der Leyen College. First, the Legal Affairs Committee scrutinises the declaration of interests of each Commissioner-designate. Second, each Commissioner-designate appears before the competent parliamentary committee or committees for a single confirmation hearing. In the past, the main criticism levelled at some of the Commissioners-designate has involved their having insufficient expertise in their respective portfolios, as well as the vagueness of their answers and their reluctance to make political commitments. The existence of possible conflicts of interest in relation to the assigned portfolio and concerns regarding the integrity of the candidate have influenced the dynamics of more recent hearings. Since the 2004 investiture, Parliament has used its role in appointing the Commission to replace certain controversial candidates and force adjustments to certain portfolios, although according to the Treaties Parliament can only reject or accept the College as a whole. While some experts have advised against the excessive politicisation of the confirmation hearings, others have welcomed the increased accountability of the Commission to Parliament, and have praised the deepening of the political link between the two institutions as a step towards further democratisation of the EU decision-making process. Confirmation hearings have become critical for Parliament to hold the Commission accountable, and have gained prominence as a tool for Parliament to take a greater role in EU agenda-setting. This is a further updated version of a September 2019 briefing by Maria Diaz Crego, itself an update of a 2014 briefing by Eva-Maria Poptcheva.

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