Kallas and Fitto are not yet fit enough for high office

The best come last, this fall the candidates for the highest positions in the new EU Commission, who will each have the rank of executive vice president. They were “grilled” by the responsible committees on Monday, on the last day of the hearings in the EU Parliament – initially without any result, the crucial meetings afterwards were postponed. The first to hit was the Italian Raffaele Fitto. He belongs to Giorgia Meloni’s “Fratelli d’Italia” and therefore to the right-wing EKR faction. A right-wing politician as vice president (and responsible for the highly funded regional policy) is too much for the left-of-center parties in particular, who didn’t take kindly to the Italian’s arguments.

Social Democrats, Liberals, Greens and Leftists accused him of continuing to represent right-wing populist ideas instead of democratic values. While committee member Alexander Bernhuber (ÖVP) initially did not want to commit (“we will advise”), the verdict of the Austrian Greens Thomas Waitz and Lena Schilling was clearer: “Fitto’s views on the rule of law are problematic, as his unrealistic answers to the Green Deal show .” that he is not taking the climate and biodiversity crisis seriously.” Fitto is neither suitable for the high position nor does he show the necessary conviction.

Kallas also has to wait

The Estonian Kaja Kallas, who is to succeed Josep Borrell as High Representative for Foreign Affairs, is also facing a harsh wind. She is considered a fierce opponent of Russia and advocates support for Ukraine and rapid admission to the EU, which did not go down well with the right-wing camp. “With these statements, Kaja Kallas disqualifies herself as foreign and security representative,” replied the FPÖ delegation leader in the EU Parliament, Harald Vilimsky.

This was followed by the long-time EU MP and short-term French Foreign and European Minister Stéphane Séjourné and the Romanian EU MP Roxana Mînzatu, followed in the evening by the Spanish former minister Teresa Ribera Rodríguez and the Finnish former minister and EU parliamentarian Henna Virkkunen. Parliamentary circles say that the vote for the Social Democrat Ribera is linked to Fitto’s performance. Whether everyone will be waved through will most likely become clear over the course of Tuesday; at the moment only the Hungarian Oliver Varhelyj is really open. He had to answer further questions in writing; the vote on this should take place on Wednesday. A final decision on the entire Commission will take place in the form of a vote in the EU Parliament in November.