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New European Green Deal chief Maroš Šefčovič and climate commissioner-designate Wopke Hoekstra have won lawmakers’ approval to take up their posts, pending a plenary vote on Thursday.
Both politicians were asked to answer additional written questions on Tuesday after failing to impress MEPs in their hours-long hearings. On Wednesday morning, after filing their responses, Šefčovič and Hoekstra finally received the backing of two-thirds of the European Parliament’s environment committee, as required.
Committee chair Pascal Canfin said in a press conference that the candidates’ written answers had provided the necessary “clarity” on key issues. “That’s why, this morning, we had this two-thirds majority,” he said.
The center-right European People’s Party — Hoekstra’s political family — and the center-left Socialists, Šefčovič’s group, backed both commissioners after initially threatening to vote down each other’s candidates. The centrist Renew Europe and the Greens also gave their approval.
The decision will now pass into the hands of the parliamentary committee chairs and the group leaders, though they are not expected to deviate from the environment lawmakers’ evaluation. Once both bodies give their thumbs-up, a formal confirmation vote can be held in plenary on Thursday at noon.
