T he new European Commission, led by Jean-Claude Juncker, assumed office in November 2014. The 28 members of the College of Commissioners — still one from each member state despite efforts to reduce its size — had been nominated by their national governments and approved in a vote of the European Parliament (EP).
Each commissioner-designate attended a parliamentary hearing in front of the EP committee responsible for the portfolio they had been assigned. The EP has the power to approve the Commission as a whole but has brought about changes to nominees by expressing concerns about particular individuals. In 2014, Slovenia changed its nominee after the EP’s Energy Committee voted against Alenka Bratusek. Concerns raised by the EP also prompted a limited reallocation of policy portfolios.
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