Maroš Šefčovič aims to prove trade chops in first commissioner hearing

First up: Mr. Fix It.
Maroš Šefčovič, a fixture in the European Commission since 2009, will be the first of Ursula von der Leyen’s second-term picks to face a grilling by European lawmakers.
Von der Leyen has tapped the 58-year-old Slovak for the role of trade commissioner, while he would keep his existing role as her eyes and ears responsible for relations between the EU institutions.
It’s going to be a tough gig: Von der Leyen has downgraded the EU’s traditional pursuit of free-trade agreements to emphasize policies that, in an increasingly hostile world, would transform Europe into a fortress. And she wants to wrap issues like trade defense and a new economic security strategy into a new economic foreign policy.
We’ll be bringing you all the live action from 2:30 p.m. CET on Nov. 4. 
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PS. If you want to follow more of the action from the hearings, our reporters will be bringing you blow-by-blow updates from all 26 commissioner interviews here.
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