Subscribe
This step in the delicate process of confirming the new European Commission, which began with an examination of the potential conflicts of interest of the Commissioners-designate on the basis of their statements, has been completed. The JURI committee approved all the nominees, including the 26 men nominated by Ursula von der Leyen, who will undergo hearings between 4 and 12 November. Among the commissioners, Raffaele Fitto, representative of the Italian conservatives, will play a prominent role. The final confirmation of the Commission is expected by the end of November.
The work of the European Parliament’s Legal Affairs Committee, followed by the hearings of the Commissioners, is a delicate moment for the life of the newly formed Commission and, more generally, for the progress of the legislative process that has just begun. The proceedings, which began in recent weeks, examine the possible conflicts of interest of the various Commissioners appointed by President Ursula von der Leyen, on the basis of their declarations of interest. Everything depends on what and how much the person concerned declares, which can be assessed by one or more parliamentary committees, with the possibility of other external committees intervening. In short, this is a delicate moment for the next five years of the European Union, which aims to avoid possible conflicts of interest and to confirm not only that the individual Commissioner-designate is suitable for the College, but also that he or she can actually fulfil the role for which he or she has been chosen. According to Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament, “the hearings of the Commissioners-designate are an important moment for European democracy. Members of the European Parliament,” said Metsola, “will carefully examine the competence, independence and European commitment of each candidate before voting on the College as a whole. Democracy does not take shortcuts. A new legislative mandate brings new expectations. Citizens rightly want answers to their concerns. The European Parliament will continue to play its role in ensuring that our European Union delivers on its ambitions. Indeed, the Parliament also has an important role to play in shaping the new European Commissions: after hearing the various Commissioners in the Conference of Presidents, Ursula von der Leyen will present the team and its programme to the Parliament in plenary, which will then have to vote for confirmation by qualified majority.
Commission confirmed
A few days ago, the Juri Commission completed the vetting process by confirming the positions of all the Commissioners: the 26 men nominated by Ursula von der Leyen for her second term at the head of the European Commission have been confirmed and will now have to present themselves at the hearings, which are scheduled to take place between 4 and 12 November. Ilhan Kyuchyuk, Chairman of the Legal Affairs Committee, said: “The JURI Committee has carried out an impartial and thorough analysis of the Commissioners-designate’s declarations of interests, examining potential conflicts of interest in relation to the portfolios assigned to them. Whenever we found the information incomplete, we requested further details in order to assess all relevant elements and reach our conclusions. From a procedural point of view, there may be some legitimate criticisms of the legal framework, and we will have the opportunity to analyse them and propose changes if necessary. But today I would like to express my gratitude to all the members of JURI for taking an active part in the process and for safeguarding the interests not only of the committee and of Parliament, but also of European citizens, through their thorough examination of all the data and information at our disposal. I am pleased that JURI, together with all the other parliamentary committees, can now focus on the confirmation hearings of the Commissioners-designate.
Fitto also receives JURI approval
Among the members of the new European Commission, attention has focused on Raffaele Fitto, a member of Fratelli d’Italia and of the Italian government led by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, the only ECR representative chosen by Ursula von der Leyen to fill a role that is by no means secondary, such as that of an executive vice-presidency in charge of cohesion and reforms. In essence, two of the most important issues for the European Union, both financially and politically: the Conservatives have thus gained a prominent position within the Commission, managing a trillion-euro portfolio on issues fundamental to the future of Europe. According to European Conservative leader Meloni, this is also a mark of respect for Italy, “an important recognition,” she said, “that confirms the rediscovered central role of our nation within the EU. Italy is finally back as a protagonist in Europe’. But it is also a recognition of how Europe has inevitably moved to the right after the EU vote in June: the clear indication of the citizens could not go unheeded and, despite the Socialist and Popular Party’s asset of wanting to keep alive the alliance that has governed for years, it was impossible not to recognise a role of weight in the family of the right and European conservatives. However, not all Italian parties have welcomed Fitto’s entry into the European Commission with enthusiasm, nor have the socialists and the European left, who are worried about the rise of the right in Europe. This is despite the fact that Fitto heads one of Italy’s most virtuous ministries, whose management of European funds has made Rome one of the most positive nations in this respect. On the other hand, critics almost celebrated the news that the Juri Commission had asked for an investigation into Fitto’s declaration of interests. According to some sources, Fitto had been asked for more information about his real estate holdings, as he owns several properties, all on Italian soil. But then it was confirmed that the new Italian commissioner had no conflict of interest. On the other hand, the climate of tension between the Socialists and the People’s Party, which also wanted to open up the European Commission to conservatives, continues: We don’t understand why the EPP is playing with a double majority,” said Socialist (S&D) leader Iratxe Garcia Perez, “sometimes with us, sometimes with the far right. This,’ he added, ‘will have consequences for the process of the hearings’. Words that could be interpreted maliciously as a veiled threat to the Conservatives, who, however, are far from being in a secondary position, enjoying the strong consensus of the citizens expressed in the elections of 9 June.
The next steps
The Conference of Presidents will now hear the individual Commissioners between 4 and 12 November. Raffaele Fitto is expected to be heard on the morning of Tuesday 12 November. Each hearing will be followed by a meeting between the committee chairmen and representatives of the political groups: the Conference will then forward the outcome of the hearings to the Conference of Presidents, which will then decide whether to put the vote on the new Commission on the agenda of Parliament’s plenary session. The vote in Parliament will be by roll call and a simple majority will be required to approve the Commission: the vote is currently scheduled to take place between 25 and 28 November. It is hard to imagine a last-minute twist: this brings Raffaele Fitto ever closer to a historic step for the world of European conservatives, a first step towards a change that European citizens have been demanding for some time. A change that will not be easy to implement, but that will irrevocably break with the status quo that has governed the European Union for too long.