LIBE Committee to grill mysterious Austrian nominee

By Nicoletta Ionta

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Welcome to EU Politics Decoded, brought to you today by Nicoletta Ionta, with additional reporting by Magnus Lund Nielsen. EU Politics Decoded is your essential guide for staying up-to-date with the Brussels bubble. Subscribe to Politics Decoded here.

In today’s edition

Packed into an evening train back from rainy Strasbourg to an equally rainy Brussels, I tried my best to relax and forget about European commissioners and the Orbán show I'd just witnessed - something that proved impossible as I spotted an unexpected fellow passenger: Commissioner-nominee for Belgium, Hadja Lahbib.

As they say: Brussels is a bubble.

As we approach the parliamentary hearings for the commissioners-designate, committees have finalised their written questions for the grilling, which will begin on 4 November.

According to a document seen by Euractiv, Brunner, nominated by Ursula von der Leyen as Commissioner responsible for Internal Affairs and Migration, will face a tough challenge in the LIBE committee during his confirmation process, as MEPs prepare to grill him on all things migration.

With his CV containing no clues as to his views on the matter, understanding his stance has become a hot topic in Brussels, with many wondering how he will tackle these issues.

Austria's historically harsh stance on migration is common knowledge in Brussels, so Brunner's appointment to the portfolio came as a surprise to many, especially as his name was initially put forward in the hope of securing an economic portfolio.

The country has long advocated for stricter border controls and a much stronger mandate for the EU's border agency, Frontex. Austria has also opted out of the EU's voluntary solidarity mechanism for the relocation of migrants among member states.

Just last month, Austria's far-right Freedom Party (FPÖ), known for its anti-immigration stance, scored a historic victory in the general election, winning 29% of the vote. The party has vowed to establish a “Fortress Austria.”

“Austria has tried to push the conversation towards more restrictiveness in the migration debate in Europe, and has more recently been successful," Helena Hahn, policy analyst at the European Policy Center, told Euractiv.

“This is especially the case for preventing and reducing irregular migration through novel means, even if those under discussion are not necessarily effective or politically feasible ones. It certainly has played a key role in pushing the conversation even more despite being a smaller EU member states,” Hahn added.

Austria has also pushed for stronger border checks within the EU's internal borders. In 2022, Austria vetoed the entry of Bulgaria and Romania into the Schengen area, citing concerns about irregular immigration and what it viewed as poorly protected external Schengen borders.

“This is a brilliant move by the European Commission because Austrians always complain about immigration. And now they have to actually sit down with him to talk about the immigration issues,” said Reinhard Heinisch, Professor of Comparative Austrian Politics at the University of Salzburg.

One thing is certain. The written questions from the LIBE committee will shed light on the nominee's views, and Brunner will need to do his homework.

Many of the questions from LIBE will focus on the implementation of the new Migration and Asylum Pact, addressing potential delays, adequate EU funding, and a new common approach to the return of irregular migrants.

Questions surrounding returns are gaining attention following the circulation of a 'non-paper' on 4 October, endorsed by 15 EU countries, including France, Germany, and Italy, as well as Switzerland and Norway, calling for a review of the Return Directive, as the current legal framework is said to "not sufficiently reflect the needs of the [member states] to ensure effective removals".

Brunner will also face questions about the role of Frontex, in particular what changes he believes are needed to the agency's mandate and its accountability to the European Parliament.

Schengen will be a central topic of the grilling, with questions focusing on the accession of Bulgaria and Romania.

Since March, both Bulgaria and Romania have enjoyed partial Schengen membership, with access to the area only via “sea and air,” a solution put forward by Austria, but land borders remain a critical issue.

Brunner will be pressed on what steps he plans to propose to lift controls at internal land borders.

The ongoing reintroduction and maintenance of internal border controls by several member states since 2015 - a reference to Germany's recent decision to implement controls - will also be a focus. Brunner will be asked whether he intends to initiate infringement proceedings against those member states that fail to comply with the Schengen Borders Code.

“It won't be as easy as it maybe was in the past to point a finger at Brussels (..), simply pointing out all the problems without necessarily following up,” Hahn added.

The 'Orbán show' in Strasbourg. The Hungarian prime minister made his return to the European Parliament in Strasbourg to present his country's priorities for the EU presidency. Orbán’s speech during the plenary session escalated into a confrontation with von der Leyen and MEPs. “I came here to present the programme of the Hungarian presidency (...), but you decided to turn it into a political party clash,” the prime minister said. More here.