Mr Jose Manuel Barroso's revamped European Commission was on course for easy confirmation on Thursday after his changed nominees breezed through European Parliament hearings today.
The successful hearings mean the incoming Commission president should be able to win broad parliamentary support for his strengthened team, just three weeks after he was forced to withdraw his first line-up, and get to work next week.
"Without prejudging the final decisions of the political groups, we could well have a Commission that wins far larger support on Thursday than the original team would have got," parliament President Mr Josep Borrell said.
Italy's Mr Franco Frattini won the backing of the European Parliament's Civil Liberties and Legal Affairs committees for the post of commissioner for justice, freedom and security with smooth performances that avoided his predecessor's mistakes.
Latvia's Mr Andris Piebalgs, replacing ousted Eurosceptic Ms Ingrida Udre, had no trouble convincing the Industry, Research and Energy Committee of his fitness to be energy commissioner.
Former Hungarian Foreign Minister Mr Laszlo Kovacs showed greater mastery of his new taxation brief than he had displayed on energy last month, winning broad backing after enduring a grilling from conservative lawmakers on his Communist past.
The outgoing Commission headed by Mr Romano Prodi had to stay on as a caretaker after Mr Barroso was forced to withdraw his first line-up on Oct. 29 over hostility to Italy's Mr Rocco Buttiglione and criticism of several nominees.
The Civil Liberties Committee rejected Mr Buttiglione, opening a political crisis, after he incensed left-wing and liberal lawmakers by saying homosexuality was a sin and marriage existed for women to have babies and be protected by a male.