Socialist MEPs set their sights on Bratušek

Centre-left MEPs may go easy on centre-right Spanish and Hungarian nominees and focus attention on Slovenia’s liberal nominee.

Members of the Socialists and Democrats group in the European Parliament have identified Alenka Bratušek of Slovenia as the weak link among the nominees for the European Commission.

Much of the criticism of the prospective college of commissioners has involved the nominees from Spain and Hungary, but centre-left MEPs are said to be planning to let other groups criticise those two during the hearings while they focus on Bratušek, according to Parliament sources.

Miguel Arias Cañete, Spain’s nominee, has come under attack for making sexist comments in the Parliament election campaign. Juncker’s decision to give Cañete the climate and energy portfolio has come under fire from environmentalists and the left because of his ties to the oil industry. Hungary’s nominee, Tibor Navracsics, is also expected to face tough questioning because he comes from the Fidesz party, which has been accused of running an semi-authoritarian regime in Hungary.

Both Cañete and Navracsics are from the centre-right European People’s Party group, which is part of the ‘grand coalition’ with the S&D. According to Parliament sources, S&D MEPs will let Green MEPs go after Cañete in his hearing and let far-left MEPs criticise Navracsics. Although centre-left MEPs may still be critical of the nominees from Spain and Hungary, they will vote in favour of both.

Instead, the centre-left plans to turn its attention to Bratušek. She is a member of the liberal ALDE group, so voting against her would not upset the EPP-S&D coalition. Centre-left MEPs may vote against her nomination. It is not clear if EPP MEPs will follow suit.

Juncker’s decision to appoint Bratušek as vice-president for energy union, in charge of a team of seven commissioners, has drawn criticism because of her inexperience. She served as prime minister for about a year.

Bratušek’s nomination was controversial. She nominated herself as commissioner in July, after her party had been defeated in a general election. The move is the subject of an ongoing inquiry. Many high-profile Slovenian politicians have criticised the move, including Janez Potočnik, the country’s current European commissioner, and former prime minister Janez Janša.

The new centre-left government in Slovenia, part of the S&D group, wants to replace Bratušek with MEP Tanja Fajon, who was on a shortlist of names submitted to Juncker. But it is too late for the government to rescind Bratušek’s nomination, and it cannot block the college as a whole in the Council of Ministers as the vote on approval is by qualified majority.

Group leaders have been meeting this week to determine which committees will question which nominees at confirmation hearings scheduled to begin on 29 September. They have yet to reach agreement, partly because the new ‘project team’ arrangement in the Commission means many committees want to question the vice-presidents. The Parliament’s group leaders and committee chairs will meet early next week in Strasbourg to try to find a solution.