After a week of intense negotiations, it seems the new Commission will finally begin its work in December. This marks the first time since 1999 that no country’s Commission has been rejected, but reaching this milestone proved to be a significant challenge. An official announcement is expected today, with some potential tweaks to portfolios, though no major changes are anticipated.

While the first week of hearings saw the delay of only one candidate, Hungarian candidate Olivér Várhelyi, the second week brought a complete halt to the approval of Vice-Presidential nominees.

Várhelyi's approval was postponed because of his affiliation with the far-right European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group and the doubt over his assignment of the health portfolio (in addition to animal welfare, new area for a Commissioner title). Unlike his previous portfolio on Neighborhood and Enlargement, Várhelyi was seen as less competent in this new domain. Moreover, since the health portfolio includes issues related to women's health and reproductive rights, the topic became politically sensitive, given that the Fidesz government in Hungary has actively opposed the right to abortion. Unsurprisingly, questions on women's rights and the EU's role in guaranteeing them featured prominently in the hearing and the second round of written questions sent by MEPs.

The process went smoothly for the other 20 candidates grilled during the first week. Lahbib, assigned to the equality portfolio, and Jørgensen, nominated for energy and housing, both received approval.

For the Vice-Presidential candidates, however, the process stalled. Political groups imposed mutual vetoes, blocking progress. On one side, the coalition supporting von der Leyen (made up of the centre-right, center-left, and liberals) decided to approve all Vice-Presidents in a single vote as a "package deal." Tensions peaked when the European People’s Party (EPP) blocked Teresa Ribera, the Socialists & Democrats (S&D) nominee for the Clean, Just, and Competitive Transition portfolio, demanding she first report to the European Parliament on the environmental disaster in Valencia. In response, the S&D accused the EPP of using Ribera as a scapegoat and called for the removal of Raffaele Fitto, candidate for Cohesion and Reforms, from the Vice-President role because of his links to the ECR group.

The outcome of the negotiations is expected today from the Conference of Presidents. The agenda for next week’s plenary session will likely include the vote on the full College of Commissioners, which requires a simple majority for final approval. Assuming this timeline holds, the new European Commission will officially commence its mandate during the first week of December, prepared to address the challenges ahead with a renewed leadership team.