New EU Commission

Von der Leyen’s candidates overcome first hurdle

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen during a meeting with her Commission candidates(Bild: APA/AFP/POOL/OLIVIER HOSLET)

Ursula von der Leyen's new team has overcome its first hurdle in the EU Parliament. The Justice Committee found no financial conflicts of interest in any of the candidates for office, as the Parliament in Strasbourg announced on Thursday.

However, MEPs from the Greens and the Left criticized that there were "still numerous unanswered questions", according to a German Green MEP on the Justice Committee, Sergey Lagodinsky. Together with other MPs, Lagodinsky said he left the meeting room "in protest". He accused the conservatives and liberals in parliament of overlooking possible conflicts of interest "in order to save their own candidates". 

Criticism and calls for more parliamentary powers
In their scrutiny, MEPs must rely on self-declaration by the commissioners-designate; the Justice Committee had already asked questions due to a lack of information. Parliament can "only fulfil its task if it is fully informed", criticized René Repasi, a German SPD member of the Justice Committee. He called for the procedure to be changed and for Parliament to be given more powers. 

Candidates must now face hearings
The next hurdle for von der Leyen's team is the hearings in Parliament's specialist committees from November 4 to 12. The hearing of the designated Austrian EU Commissioner Magnus Brunner (ÖVP) will take place on November 5. Parliament must then confirm the entire composition of the next Commission in a vote.