It was an intense few days in the EU Parliament in Brussels, both for the MEPs and for the observers. Each day, up to six candidates faced questions from MEPs, after which a vote was held. While the first day went smoothly, on Tuesday, 5 November, doubts arose about the professional suitability of Commissioner-designate for Environment Jessika Roswall at the hearing. While these doubts were resolved the following day in a political barter, the differences of opinion between the political groups regarding the Hungarian candidate Olivér Várhelyi could not be bridged. He had to complete an additional exercise, but even after that he was not waved through. Six of the 26 future commissioners will act as vice-presidents. The EU Parliament also needs more time to decide on these.

The first week: Few surprises
Maroš Šefčovič (Trade) and Glenn Micallef (Youth, Culture, Sport) kicked things off on the afternoon of 4 November, followed by Christophe Hansen (Agriculture) and Apostolos Tzitzikostas (Transport and Tourism) in the evening. All four candidates were able to convince the MEPs and the mood was predominantly constructive. Micallef spoke out in favour of an EU policy with young people, Hansen placed a clear focus on the interests of farmers, while regulating the food supply of EU citizens is not a major concern for him. Tzitzikostas cited, among other, the affordability of mobility, a standardised booking system for rail tickets and the decarbonisation of company car fleets as priorities.

The second day began with the hearings of Michael McGrath (Justice and Rule of Law) and Ekaterina Zaharieva (Research and Innovation) in the morning. This was followed in the afternoon by Dan Jørgensen (Energy and Housing) and Dubravka Šuica (Mediterranean). Magnus Brunner (Internal Affairs and Migration) and Jessika Roswall (Environment) concluded the programme. The morning and afternoon sessions were once again characterised by a constructive atmosphere and the candidates appeared well prepared. McGrath impressed with his broad knowledge and responded confidently to critical questions about the annual report on the rule of law and its link to the EU budget. Jørgensen wants to campaign for lower energy prices and affordable housing. He was able to make the MEPs laugh, and even as a nuclear power sceptic he was confirmed by a large majority. The Austrian candidate Brunner presented himself as fact-oriented on the sensitive issue of migration, but left some answers open, for example on repatriation centres. Only Roswall often seemed unsure of the details and remained vague, also about the financing of her plans. The approval was postponed for the time being.

Wednesday was opened by Hadja Lahbib (Crisis Management, Equality) and Maria Luís Albuquerque (Financial Services). In the afternoon, Jozef Síkela (International Partnerships) and Costas Kadis (Fisheries and Oceans) answered questions. And in the evening, the hearings of Andrius Kubilius (Defence and Space) and Olivér Várhelyi (Health and Animal Welfare) concluded the day. The morning got off to a confrontational start, which was due to the broad range of topics and personal criticism of Lahbib, including a trip to Crimea in 2021 with a Russian visa. Her confirmation was politically linked to that of Jessika Roswall. Albuquerque also had to face critical questions about her work in the private sector, but was characterised above all by her great expertise. Only Várhelyi, despite his apology for a verbal gaffe in the EU Parliament when he called the MEPs idiots, was not convincing. The differences were too great, both in the area of health, where he did not want to take a clear position on sexual and reproductive health, and on animal welfare, where he clearly took the side of agriculture. As a result, he had to answer six further questions in writing.

The first interview marathon was completed on Thursday, 7 November, with the appointments of Wopke Hoekstra (Climate), Marta Kos (Enlargement), Piotr Arkadiusz Serafin (Budget) and Valdis Dombrovskis (Economy). Hoekstra acknowledged existing ambitions and was convincing as a knowledgeable incumbent. He was well received across the political groups. The questioning of Kos, Serafin and Dombrovskis also went without any major surprises.

The day of the vice presidents
The showdown then took place on 12 November during the questioning of the designated Vice-Presidents. Raffaele Fitto (Cohesion and Reforms) and Kaja Kallas (High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy) kicked things off in the morning. In the afternoon, Stéphane Séjourné (Prosperity and Industrial Strategy) and Roxana Mînzatu (Skills and Preparedness) continued the programme, followed by Teresa Ribera Rodríguez (Clean, Just and Competitive Transition) and Henna Virkkunen (Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy). Although Fitto distanced himself from problematic positions in the past - as a member of parliament, he rejected rule of law proceedings against Hungary and Poland - and presented himself as a competent professional, approval was not forthcoming for the time being.

As a result, the other candidates were also not given green light that day, although they were largely well received and could in principle win majorities. The candidate responsible for social rights and employee interests, Mînzatu, even received applause for individual statements. She would be open to changing the title chosen by Ursula von der Leyen for her portfolio - social affairs and employment are not mentioned. She would campaign for the implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights, good wages and fair working conditions. The candidate Ribera, who is no less central to ensuring fairness in times of change, was more controversial. While she was able to draw on her expertise in climate policy thanks to her experience as a previous Spanish minister, she seemed less sure-footed when it came to competition policy. However, the mood of the interview was confrontational, with one of the topics discussed being possible co-responsibility for the poor management of the flood disaster in Valencia.

Current status of the negotiations
The next few days will show how the stalemate can be resolved. Neither EU Commission President von der Leyen nor EU Parliament President Metsola have yet been able to resolve the conflict. There is even talk of the pro-European political groups in the EU Parliament breaking off their previous cooperation, as the EPP occasionally forms majorities with groups far to the right of the centre. For the time being, however, the date for the vote in the EU plenary on the Commission as a whole remains 27 November.

Further information
AK EUROPA: Von der Leyen's compromise commission. What can we expect?
AK EUROPA: EU Commission von der Leyen II. The candidates have been nominated, the hearings will follow soon
EU Parliament: Hearings on the confirmation of the European Commission
EU Commission: Commissioners-designate (2024-2029) 
Euractiv: Disputes over new EU Commission: Von der Leyen intervenes
POLITICO: Who aced (and flunked) the commissioner hearings? Here's what our insiders have to say