Commissioner Confirmation Hearings in the European Parliament: A Path to Political Accountability

Since 1995, confirmation hearings in the European Parliament (EP) have played a pivotal role in the appointment of the European Commission. Serving as a platform for the EP to scrutinize commissioner-designates regarding their competencies and policy agendas, these hearings enhance ex-ante accountability by assessing the quality and composition of the European Commission before formal appointment. Through an analysis of 160 hearings of candidate commissioners over three decades, this paper explores the evolution and effects of this tool for parliamentary oversight. Categorizing the accountability process into three stages, the empirical analysis demonstrates how appointment hearings have deepened the political connection between the EP and the Commission, representing a significant step toward enhanced political accountability. The pre-hearing stage has led to the expansion and improved structuring of information provision. During the three-hour public questioning stage, there is a growing emphasis on the policy priorities of the candidates. In the evaluation stage, the EP increasingly assumes an activist role, exerting greater control over the appointment of the European Commission. The outcome of these hearings is a notably more accountable Commission.