Kroes to face second hearing

Dutch commissioner-designate called before European Parliament again after poor showing in nomination hearing.

Neelie Kroes, the European-commissioner designate for digital agenda, must face a second grilling before members of the European Parliament, following a lacklustre performance at her formal hearing yesterday.

MEPs from the Parliament’s political groups decided unanimously last night that Kroes should be summoned for extra questioning, a rare step.

A spokesman for the European People’s Party (EPP) group said that Kroes, a liberal, had shown a “lack of inspiration” at her hearing.

“None of her answers were straightforward and clear,” he said. “We have the impression she was reluctant to come before the committee.”

The extra questioning will take place on Tuesday (26 January) morning in Strasbourg. The meeting will be held in camera. Only the spokesmen for each political group in the Parliament’s industry committee will put questions to Kroes.

Asked to comment, a spokesperson for the European Commission said: “It would be highly inappropriate for the Commission to interfere with the assessment process ongoing.”

Jorgo Chatzimarkakis, a German Liberal MEP, issued a statement offering support to Kroes. “We have to take up the fight for the protection of intellectual property now. Neelie Kroes is the right person for this job,” he said.

Angelika Niebler, a German conservative, was one of several MEPs to express dissatisfaction with Kroes’s responses at the hearing. She said that MEPs had not got “many specific answers” from the commissioner-designate. “I don’t really feel I know in which [policy] direction you are going to go,” she said.