10 September 2019
Ursula von der Leyen, President designate of the next European Commission, has today released details of the policy portfolio that each commissioner is set to be allocated.
The EU treaties stipulate that each EU Member State can nominate a Commissioner who before taking office in their designated role must pass through a series of scrutiny steps in the European Parliament.
Each candidate Commissioner must first submit to the parliament a mission letter and declarations of financial interests, together with their CVs, before they are subject to a three hour hearing in the relevant Parliamentary Committee(s), which will take place between 30th September and 8th October. Parliament’s Committees can also submit a series of written questions to the candidates which must be responded to at least 48 hours before the start of their hearing.
Following each hearing the Committees responsible will evaluate the performance and suitability before submitting a letter of recommendation to the Parliament’s Conference of Committee Chairs, before the hearings are declared closed. Then on Wednesday 23rd October, Parliament votes on whether to endorse the whole college.
PARLIAMENT’S INDICATIVE CALENDAR
Draft timetable based on the assumption that Parliament will receive the nominations and portfolios of Commissioners-designate by 10 September 2019, subject to approval by the CCC:
10 September: List of Commissioners-designate, their mission letters and declarations of financial interests sent to Parliament together with their CVs
11 September: Extraordinary CCC: adoption of the common questions for the candidates to the new Commission and adoption of the recommendation on the timetable for the hearings
12 September: CoP decision on organisation of hearings
17 September: CCC adoption of the recommendation on the division of responsibilities between committees
19 September: CoP decision on the division of responsibilities between committees
23 September: Deadline for the committees to finalise their specific written questions
24 September: Upon transmission by the CCC, CoP final decision on the questionnaires and the programme of the hearings
24 September: Written questionnaires are sent in EN to the Commission
26 September: Deadline for the Commission to send the Commissioners’-designate replies to written questions in EN (translations in all languages to be sent at least 48h before each hearing)
27 September: Deadline for JURI scrutiny and sending letters to committees responsible
30 September - 8 October 2019: Hearings of Commissioners-designate and evaluation meetings
15 October: Extraordinary CCC to evaluate the hearings
17 October: Group leaders declare the hearings closed
23 October: EP vote on the College
31 October: End of mandate of current Commission.
If additional hearings for Commissioners-designate or for alternative candidates are required:
7 - 10 October 2019: CoP decision to hold additional hearings
14 - 15 October 2019: Additional hearing(s) if required.
16 October 2019: Extraordinary meeting of the CCC to evaluate the outcome of the hearings
17 October 2019: CoP declares the hearings closed
23 October 2019: EP Plenary vote on the College
31 October: End of mandate of current Commission.
