NEW COMMISSION/DIGITAL AGENDAKROES SAILS THROUGH SECOND HEARING.

In an unexpected turn of events, MEPs on both the right and the left came out disappointed - if not frustrated - from the hearing of Dutch candidate Neelie Kroes, on 14 January. The EP's Industry Committee (ITRE) expected a lot from one of the few stars' of the Barroso I team, tried and tested with the competition portfolio during her first term. After the hearing, it reserved its verdict on the commissioner-designate for the digital agenda until the end of all the hearings, on 19 January. Kroes then appeared again for a 90-minute in camera hearing before certain MEPs and the political group coordinators on the margins of the plenary session in Strasbourg. Seemingly better prepared than she was on 14 January, "Mrs Kroes gave a good performance" by giving "more concrete" responses, said an EPP MEP. The Socialists and the Greens agreed.

Back on 14 January, Kroes came across as vague, agitated and unprepared (she also had problems with her notes). The 68-year-old Liberal has a wealth of experience, however. She spent five years setting record fines for anti-competitive practices on giants like Telefonica, Microsoft and Intel. She also broke up cartels and imposed restructuring measures on some of the biggest European banks. Did her reputation work against her? Possibly. Apart from her own political family, the Liberals, all the groups were frustrated by her answers on many subjects (telecoms, mobile telephony, internet, copyright). "I can't say I really know what direction you want to take," said German Conservative Angelika Niebler. "Our group found her well below what can be expected of her," French Socialist Catherine Trautmann told Europolitics Information Society. The former rapporteur for the telecoms package is puzzled over whether the candidate is determined to enforce the compromise hammered out over the ex-Amendment 138 on the fundamental rights of European internet users.

Committee members were also disappointed on roaming, a star issue for the Barroso I Commission. After the EP support earned by Viviane Reding and her successive regulations capping rates charged for mobile calls and text messages between EU countries, Kroes left MEPs cold with her reluctance to initiate a third law on mobile data roaming, which is far too costly. It is "up to the market to do the job," she said, without excluding binding rules altogether. "Consumers who cross a border should feel little or no effect on services and prices paid," she said. Yet Kroes...