The European Parliament's Constitutional Committee on Tuesday, January 19, recommended that the designated Slovak EU commissioner, Maroš Šefčovič, be appointed one of the European Commission's seven vice presidents, with responsibility for the agenda of the union's inter-institutional relations and administration.
The committee's decision came after its members had evaluated Šefčovič's performance during a hearing on Monday at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France. Slovak MEPs told the TASR newswire that they were very satisfied with his performance during the hearing. "I was persuaded by the performance of the Slovak candidate. I think that he did well during a very difficult three-hour hearing. He was spontaneous, sometimes he even became agitated and showed his emotions, which is always taken positively. I think that he was given difficult questions," said Slovak Democratic and Christian Union (SDKÚ) MEP Eduard Kukan. Other Slovak MEPs also expressed their satisfaction.
However, Hungarian MEPs Lívia Járóka and József Szajer, who represent Hungary's Fidesz party, raised the issue of Šefčovič's alleged anti-Roma sentiments and said after the hearing that they expected clearer answers to Járóka's questions. Szajer repeatedly asked Šefčovič why he had waited five years to apologise for alleged anti-Roma comments he had made. Šefčovič himself said he had made intensive efforts to ensure improvements in Roma issues. TASR
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
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