Former Fine Gael minister Phil Hogan is expected to face tough questioning from MEPs when he appears before the European Parliament's agriculture committee tomorrow morning for a three-hour hearing on his nomination as Ireland's next European commissioner.
MEPs Matt Carthy of Sinn Fein and Luke Ming Flanagan, as well as Mr Hogan's party colleague Mairead McGuinness, have been allocated speaking time.
Mr Carthy said he intends to focus his questioning on Mr Hogan’s past record rather than his future plans as commissioner. Revelations last week that Mr Hogan sent legal correspondence to Independent MEP Nessa Childers received a cool response from MEPs across the political spectrum, with a number questioning the commissioner-designate’s political judgment.
While Mr Hogan is expected to pass tomorrow's hearing, a number of MEPs who spoke to The Irish Times this evening said the way in which Mr Hogan responds to questions about his political past will be key to his performance. It is unclear whether Mr Hogan will deal with the issues raised by Ms Childers in his 15-minute opening statement.
All 45 full-time members and 45 substitute members of the parliament's agriculture committee are entitled to attend the hearing. However, the fact that Mr Hogan's hearing clashes with that of French commissioner-designate Pierre Moscovici means that a number of MEPs are likely to miss it.
According to the European Parliament, time has been allocated for 45 questions, with the European People's Party (EPP) assigned 11 questions, and the second-largest group, the Socialists and Democrats (S & D) assigned 10 questions. The other political groups are then assigned a number of questions in relation to their size.
Following the hearing, the co-ordinators of the main political groups will meet to review Mr Hogan’s performance. Should a consensus view not be reached by the group co-ordinators, the committee could be recalled and a vote taken, though this is unlikely to take place before Monday.
Under the EU treaties, all nominated EU commissioners must be approved by the parliament, a separate arm of the European Union. In 2004 the parliament rejected the Italian nominee for commissioner, while in 2009 Bulgaria's commissioner-designate was rejected, forcing both countries to re-nominate a commissioner.
However, sources have suggested that the parliament may assent to all 27 nominated commissioners this year, mainly due to the fact that the two main political groups in it, the EPP and S&D, have formed an informal coalition since last May’s elections.
Britain's Jonathan Hill was questioned earlier today by the economics committee about his suitability for the role of financial services commissioner. Mr Carthy, who along with Fine Gael's Brian Hayes is on the economics committee, asked Lord Hill if he supported Ireland's request for retroactive direct bank recapitalisation for its banks through the ESM fund. Mr Hill said that, while legally it is possible, any decision had to be handled on a case by case basis and would have to secure the unanimous agreement of all euro zone member states.
Responding to a question from Mr Hayes, Lord Hill confirmed that he would prioritise a capital markets union during his tenure. The Government is understood to be supportive of the British commissioner’s appointment, which is expected to be positive for the IFSC.
The parliamentary committee hearings began last Monday and will continue until next Wednesday. The parliament will then vote on the appointment of the entire commission on October 22nd in Strasbourg, with commissioners taking up their posts on November 1st. Commissioners serve for a five-year term and command a basic salary before tax of €250,000 plus allowances.
