Jonathan Hill is to be Britain’s man in Brussels – or maybe not if some MEPs get their way in hearings this week.<br /><br />Parliamentarians have expressed concern about Jonathan Hill’s previous links to the City of London, which they think makes him unsuitable to succeed Michel Barnier, the bloc’s financial services commissioner.<br /><br />They think that he is merely Prime Minister David Cameron’s ‘personal’ envoy to defend Britain’s interest.<br /><br />“Do you really want to trust the regulation of the financial sector to a former lobbyist, coming from the UK,” asked Philippe Lambert, a Green MEP from Belgium.<br /><br />Huffing and puffing is what the European Parliament does best.<br /><br />But MEPs do have the power to block the appointment of the whole Juncker commission under EU rules.<br /><br />Liberals and left-wing members are also targeting Hungary’s Tibor Navracsics, a senior member of Victor Orban’s government.<br /><br />And doubts have been cast on Alenka Bartusek from Slovenia, who effectively nominated herself when she was prime minister. <br /><br />Meanwhile, Spain’s Miguel Arias Cañete might be earmarked to take over the climate action dossier, but he has previously strong links to the oil sector. <br /><br />Then there is former French Finance Minister Pierre Moscovici. He will be tasked with keeping an eye on his country’s public spending; Paris has already said it will breach an EU-agreed deficit target this year.<br /><br />The hearings will last until October 7.
