The hearings of Commissioners-designate started on 4 November and take place until 12 November.

The European Parliament invites Commissioners-designate to appear before the appropriate committees for hearings in order to scrutinise if they are suitable for the posts they have been assigned to. Ahead of the hearings, Parliament’s Committee on Legal Affairs scrutinised the declarations of interests of the Commissioners-designate.

The hearings are followed by meetings in which the committee chair and group representatives (coordinators) of the various committees assess whether a Commissioner-designate is qualified both to be a member of the College and to carry out the particular duties they have been assigned.

Once all hearings are completed, the Conference of Committee Chairs will assess the outcome of the confirmation hearings and forward its conclusions to the Conference of Presidents. The latter will conduct the final evaluation and decide whether to close the hearings. After the hearings have been concluded, Commission President-elect Ursula von der Leyen will present the full College of Commissioners and its programme in plenary.