New Barroso line-up under Parliament scrutiny[fr][de] 

The three new Commissioners designate Franco Frattini, Andris Piebalgs and László Kovács will be scrutinised before the Parliament's committees on 15 and 16 November. A vote on the new Barroso line-up as a whole is scheduled on 18 November in a plenary session in Strasbourg.

All major political groups suggested they could accept Barroso's new line-up but have been critical about the limited scope of the reshuffle.

EPP-ED chief Hans-Gert Poettering said the group regretted that the Hungarian government had not withdrawn its candidate, László Kovács "after the negative impression he had made at his first hearing" in Parliament. 

The Socialist group, which led the protest against Rocco Buttiglione, signalled its readiness to accept the new Commission line-up. "We had four core demands. Three of them have been met, the PES leader Martin Schulz said earlier this month (see EurActiv,  8 November 2004 ). The socialists' fourth demand was the replacement of Neelie Kroes in the Competition portfolio.

The Greens said they would vote against the proposed new line-up. Spokesman Helmut Weixler directed the Greens' attacks against the Italian prime minister, saying that any member of Silvio Berlusconi's Italian government would be rejected. Overall, the group was critical about Barroso's "minimal solution" to the problem posed by the contested college of Commisioners. Barroso has "clearly folded under pressure from national governments", said the Greens. 

The ALDE Group was more upbeat with leader Graham Watson saying that, with Mr Buttiglione's departure, the new Commission had "lost its weakest link". "It should have a brighter future," said Watson.

Italy's foreign minister Franco Frattini will replace the controversial Rocco Buttiglione in the justice, freedom and security portfolio (see EurActiv,  5 November 2004 ). Latvia's Andris Piebalgs was nominated for the energy portfolio while the Hungarian László Kovács will take the taxation and customs union portfolio originally assigned to former Latvian nominee Ingrida Udre.