All incoming commissioners must go through confirmation hearings of this kind and Kallas, also nominated as a commission vice president, is one of the final six to do so.

She is set to face questions on competence, EU commitment, portfolio expertise, and conflicts of interest.

Delfi reported Kallas' stable position is bolstered by her European Council nomination and strong European Parliament engagement, and despite some controversies at home, she has largely avoided speculation about any failure from the European media at large.

Still, she has to face a grilling, which will last about three hours, including most likely from two of her own compatriots – MEPs Urmas Paet (Reform) and Sven Mikser (SDE), both members of the European Parliament Foreign Affairs Committee.

Mikser declined to comment before the hearing, while Paet stated his intention to focus on substantive questions about EU foreign policy during the discussion.

Beyond that, Kallas will be questioned by multiple parliamentary committees, though specifics are undisclosed, with sources suggesting she will avoid the hostility faced by Slovenia's nominee earlier this year.

Kallas' hearing for High Representative and Vice-President of the European Commission marks one of the final steps before the Parliament's confirmation of Ursula von der Leyen's proposed Commission lineup.

At the time of writing a total of 20 commissioner candidates have been questioned and their cases have been heard, since last Monday.

Kallas' confirmation hearing as both high representative for foreign affairs and vice president can be watched live on the video player below, starting 10 a.m. Estonian time.

POLITICO is live-blogging Kallas' hearing here.

Finland's Henna Virkkunen, aiming for the technological sovereignty, security, and democracy commissioner portfolio, is among several other candidates also due to appear at their hearing this week.

Kallas was prime minister of Estonia 2021-2024 but had already forged strong contacts within the EU, having served one term as an MEP, 2014-2019. She has particularly cordial relations with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

The High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy is in effect the EU's foreign minister, and Kallas will be replacing Josep Borrell in the post.

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