From 4 to 12 November, the European Parliament (EP) will hold confirmation hearings of the 26 Commissioners-designate presented by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen for the 2024-2029 mandate. Each of them will face questions by MEPs of one or several EP committees that are relevant to their portfolios. To be confirmed in their position, they will need to obtain a majority of two-thirds of the chair and coordinators of the committee that holds the hearing.
Ahead of the hearings, we analyse the Commissioners’ portfolios and the main priorities of the new Commission. We raise the questions that we consider MEPs should ask the Commissioners-designates to clarify their work programme, or address gaps in policies and overlaps between Commissioners, which are revealed by our analysis of their
mission letters.Before delving into the Commissioners-designate's portfolios, we also looked at whether Ursula von der Leyen’s mission letters addressed to them reflected the priorities and commitments that she outlined in a speech to the EP when she was re-elected Commission President.
Overall, the language analysis operated by Eulytix, a political tech venture with a focus on EU politics and legislation, shows that Ursula von der Leyen has so far delivered by translating her commitments into items on the lists of tasks entrusted to future Commissioners. However, she has done so in a way that could make it more difficult for them to implement the Commission’s guidelines. This is what MEPs will have to clarify during the confirmation hearings. This compendium brought together by EPC analysts will contribute to understanding what is at stake.
Read the full paper here.