On Wednesday, the European Parliament should have approved candidates for commissioners who participated in hearings on Tuesday, including Kallas. But the decision was put on hold.

"The European People's Party (EPP) wishes to postpone the confirmation of one commissioner candidate, vice-president candidate Teresa Ribera, until next week, citing reasons rooted in Spain's internal political situation," said Kaljurand, a member of the social democrats (S&D) faction.

The EPP says the opposite, blaming S&D's stance on its candidate Italy's Raffaele Fitto.

Riho Terras, EPP member, said the party has made its proposals. "We agreed to support all their candidates, but if Fitto is not supported, then all these previous agreements will be canceled," he said.

The EPP says Ribera cannot handle a minister's workload. "This is because, during the major floods and disaster in Spain, the responsible minister was missing for six days," Terras said.

S&D has said it would confirm Fitto as commissioner, but not as vice-president.

Kaljurand says European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen did not tell them about this plan.

"In July, she stated that cooperation with the conservatives could not be ruled out — understandable, given that they are currently the third-largest party. It makes sense that cooperation is necessary. However, giving the conservatives one vice-president position during the division of roles is something that Ursula von der Leyen did not agree to," she said.

This is how the hearings have reached a stalemate. Both Kaljurand and Terras agree the matter is urgent – the sooner the new committee is appointed, the better. It is hoped an agreement can be struck next week.

"Right now, I have heard November 21 mentioned as the date when this agreement should be reached, and I still believe that common sense may prevail so that we do not push the entire process back by several more months, as that risk is very much present," Terras said.

Kaljurand said that von der Leyen holds the key.

"She was the one who proposed the candidates, who was aware of where difficulties and criticisms would arise. She made the decisions and presented this commission. As of today, I cannot say whether a solution will be found today, next week, or if Fitto will continue as vice-president or not. All possibilities are still on the table. We are hopeful that the power-sharing agreement reached in July remains in place. The votes given to Ursula von der Leyen in July, when she sought support from the Social Democrats, must hold. We sincerely hope she finds a solution to this situation," the MEP said.

--

Follow ERR News on Facebook and Twitter and never miss an update!