Good morning from Brussels.

The mother of all battles is expected to take place today in Brussels, as EU lawmakers will question Ursula von der Leyen’s team of vice presidents. 

However, the hearings of Italy’s Raffaele Fitto (hard right ECR) and Spain’s socialist Teresa Ribera have attracted the most attention due to the ongoing power game between the centre-right EPP and EU socialists (S&D).

The EU socialists say von der Leyen shouldn’t have given such a big role to a politician whose party (Meloni’s Brothers of Italy-ECR) voted against her reelection at the Commission’s helm.  

Moreover, S&D sources told Euractiv that her decision also “alienates” the pro-EU forces that elected her in the first place, meaning the S&D, the EPP and liberal Renew (and the Greens). 

Nicoletta Ionta reveals EU socialists’ thoughts about Fitto, which could have, though, a backlash on their Spanish candidate as the time of hearings also has its diplomatic value: Fitto’s hearing will be first at 09:00 CET, followed by Ribera’s at 18:30 CET. 

The Spanish centre-right party and the EPP – who back Meloni’s candidate despite coming from another political group - hinted on Monday that they would make Ribera’s life difficult at the hearing, putting pressure on her over the recent deadly floods in Spain. 

Another hearing is with EU's next top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, who is expected to face tough questions on future transatlantic ties and how she plans to push back against the European Commission's increasing foreign policy power grab.  

Similarly, MEPs will likely ask French commissioner-designate Stéphane Séjourné about ties to President Emmanuel Macron and the precise nature of his extensive portfolio (Prosperity and Industrial Strategy).

EU lawmakers will also examine Henna Virkkunen (Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy) and Roxana Mînzatu (People, Skills and Preparedness) today. 

Stay tuned to our Liveblog to follow the hearings.

BERLIN

German foreign minister backs higher NATO spending target. The NATO two-percent target is no longer enough in the current situation, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said on Monday, as the Greens doubled down on hawkish tones ahead of upcoming snap elections. Read more.

German government blocks opposition demand for confidence vote this week. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will not call a vote of confidence on Wednesday, contrary to opposition demands, a German government spokesperson told journalists in Berlin on Monday. 

The Christian Democrats (CDU/CSU) have been pressuring Scholz to hold a confidence followed by snap elections earlier than planned after the collapse of his government coalition. 

The chancellor had wanted to hold a vote of confidence in January to pave the way for snap elections in March. As pressure mounted from other parties to bring the date forward, Scholz signalled that he would not rule out holding the necessary vote “before Christmas”. German media reported that the CDU/CSU is now eyeing snap elections in late February rather than January, as previously suggested. (Nick Alipour | Euractiv.de)

ROME

A Rome court on Monday decided to once again disrupt Meloni's recently established Italy-Albania migration outsourcing scheme by suspending the transfer of seven asylum seekers, adding to the 12 transfers it suspended in mid-October. Read more.

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MADRID

Spanish centre-right, EPP aim to corner Teresa Ribera over deadly floods. Spain's right-wing Partido Popular has teamed up with the European People's Party (EPP) group to make life as difficult as possible for future Spanish Commissioner Teresa Ribera's hearings before the European Parliament on Tuesday. Read more. 

WARSAW

Tusk warns of uncertain future as Poles celebrate Independence Day. Independence is less certain than ever these days, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk warned Poles as Poland marked its National Independence Day on Monday. Read more.

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BRATISLAVA

Ex-presidential candidate Korčok joins PS in effort to defeat Fico’s Smer. After narrowly losing the presidential election earlier this year, pro-Western diplomat Ivan Korčok announced he was joining Slovakia's leading opposition party, Progressive Slovakia (PS/RE), where he will sit on the party's executive committee and oversee foreign policy. Read more.

SOFIA

Boyko Borissov, leader of Bulgaria's largest party, GERB, and winner of the recent elections, said on Monday that he should now lead Bulgaria's new government, citing good relations with newly re-elected US President Donald Trump. Read more.

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BUCHAREST

Liberal MPs ask about possible foreign influence in Romania's campaign. The President of the Parliamentary Commission for Oversight of SRI Activities, Ioan Chirteș, has formally asked the Romanian Intelligence Service (SRI) to confirm whether it has identified any domestic or foreign entities that could influence Romania's electoral process. Read more.

• EU: COP29 world leaders climate action summit begins in Baku, Azerbaijan;
• Commission President Ursula von der Leyen meets with President-elect of the European Council António Costa;
• Parliament President Roberta Metsola addresses conference on bringing home Ukrainian children;

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[Edited by Sarantis Michalopoulos, Daniel Eck, Alice Taylor-Braçe]