It is official: Hungarian EU Commissioner-designate gets enlargement portfolio

Commissioner-designate Olivér Várhelyi is to receive the portfolio of enlargement and relations with the EU's neighbours, Eric Mamer, the spokesperson of the European Commission announced on Thursday in Brussels.

This is not a surprise as after the finalisation of Romania's new nomination, the portfolios of all commissioner-designates were apparent except for Várhelyi, whom the Commission's President-elect Ursula von der Leyen tasked with managing the same portfolio that she originally intended for the rejected Hungarian nominee for the Commission, László Trócsányi.

Olivér Várhelyi - just like his Romanian and French counterpart - will have to be heard first by the European Parliament's Legal Affairs Committee where they will inspect if any conflicts of interest arise concerning their persons. This hearing is expected to take place on 12 November, after which the commissioner-designates will have to prove their preparedness in their areas before the European Parliament's respective committees, most likely on 14 November. Várhelyi will have to appear before the Foreign Affairs Committee which has two Hungarian members, Kinga Gál from Fidesz and Márton Gyöngyösi from Jobbik.

Read our profile of the Hungarian Commissioner-designate here: