Good morning from Brussels, The much-awaited EU commissioner candidates’ hearings are starting today. EU lawmakers will question candidates until 12 November, and by then, we will know whether a new Commission will be in place on 1 December. Today, Slovakia’s Maroš Šefčovič will be asked about his plans for EU trade in light of the rising competition with the US and China. Moreover, Greece’s Apostolos Tzitzikostas will face challenging questions over the transport portfolio. Luxembourg’s Christophe Hansen must provide careful answers to address the multiple stakeholders’ demands in the farming sector to get the agriculture portfolio, while Malta’s Glenn Micallef will likely not cause much of a stir, although his government defied VDL by not nominating a woman. Euractiv will keep you posted on this live blog. The approval of commissioners has proven to be a combination of political backing and substance, which is what they will say on specific EU policy fields, as many “accidents” have occurred in the past. Politically, in previous mandates, the EPP and Socialists ‘sacrificed’ some candidates to show each other their political strength. But it’s not sure it will be the case this time, considering the absolute domination of the centre-right, which has the luxury of looking right for majorities. Another scenario suggests that pro-EU forces may coordinate this time to show the rising far-right groups that the pro-EU majority is solid. So, the hearings are also a test for the new Parliament’s course and the EPP’s—the largest parliamentary group's—future intentions. | 