Achieving a two-thirds majority can be complicated: In many committees it takes the Greens, Socialists and Democrats (S&D), Renew Europe liberals, the center-right European People’s Party (EPP) and the right-wing European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) to reach two-thirds.

If lawmakers fail to reach a two-thirds majority to approve or reject a candidate in the first round, they can submit additional questions or summon the candidate. Leaders of political groups will need to greenlight additional sessions.

The process will remain confidential until all 26 hearings are completed, but rest assured, we will report until the end!

Who to watch

Fitto’s title issue

No candidate has divided Parliament’s political families more than Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s choice of commissioner.

Raffaele Fitto, who will be vice-president for cohesion and reforms, faces anger from S&D, Renew Europe, the Greens and the Left. They are outraged that such a role was given to someone from the right-wing ECR group and are demanding that he be demoted to the rank of a “normal” commissioner. S&D went so far as to threaten to withdraw support from von der Leyen’s college.

The centre-right EPP, on the other hand, protects Fitto and treats him as one of their own.