Brussels: Incoming EU chief Jean-Claude Juncker suffered the first casualty from his new team Wednesday after the Brussels parliament overwhelmingly rejected Slovenia`s commissioner.
Former Slovenian prime minister Alenka Bratusek was voted out after she failed to win the confidence of lawmakers during a bruising confirmation hearing on Monday for her role as vice president for energy union.
But Spain`s controversial nominee survived and the British and French members looked set to pass, indicating that Juncker`s backroom efforts to win support for key commissioners had been successful.
The European Commission is arguably the most powerful institution in Brussels as its 28 commissioners -- one from each member state -- draft laws and policy for the bloc for a five-year period.
But former Luxembourg premier Juncker has faced a battle with an increasingly assertive parliament to get his team through a week and a half of confirmation hearings, before MEPs vote on the whole line-up on October 22.
Juncker must now try to find a replacement for Bratusek from Slovenia -- if possible another woman from Bratusek`s own liberal group -- after legislators opposed her by 112 votes to 13.
Bratusek had faced criticism for effectively nominating herself as Slovenia`s commissioner while she was on the way out as premier, and for allegedly being caught singing a communist song.
Under her leadership crisis-hit Slovenia narrowly avoided having to seek an international bailout last year by taking tough steps to reduce its budget deficit, including the privatisation programme.Spain`s nominee for the key job of energy and climate commissioner, Miguel Arias Canete, made it through the vote in spite of widespread reports that he might not get through the confirmation process.
He had faced fierce criticism over alleged conflicts of interest, despite selling his shares in an oil company, and for sexist comments that he made towards a female political rival.
Jyrki Katainen of Finland, the vice-president for jobs and growth, also voted through, although his position had never really been in doubt.
Parliamentarians were due to vote later Wednesday on France`s Pierre Moscovici, the nominee for the key economic affairs job, and Britain`s Jonathan Hill, chosen for the financial services position.
Hill was recalled for an unprecedented second hearing on Tuesday to face questions over his knowledge of the job and doubts about whether he would be biased towards Britain`s huge financial services industry.
But he appeared to win over the economic affairs committee by saying that he would fight for Britain to stay in the EU when its membership goes to a referendum in 2017.
Moscovici and Canete meanwhile looked set to benefit from Juncker`s efforts to head off a damaging war between the socialist and conservative groups in parliament, which could have seen both candidates rejected.
Juncker held talks with senior parliamentarians on Tuesday to calm the situation.
He had also faced a broader battle with a relatively powerless European Parliament that is keen to show its spurs as the EU`s only elected institution.
Parliament forced the changing of candidates in 2004 and 2009.
But the squabbling threatens to distract from the EU`s attempts to appear less bureaucratic and political, given the rise of eurosceptic parties at a time of economic stagnation and high unemployment.
