Informal interviews with von der Leyen, hearings with parliamentary committees, and votes in the EU parliament and Council await the 26 candidates.

The European gas lobby and its EU consultancy have been trying to gain access to MEPs by promising to donate to charity, in breach of EU transparency rules.

Junkcer failed to protect the public interest from powerful corporate lobbies - von Der Leyen must do better.

Conservative US billionaires, some with links to Trump, are paying anti-abortion lobbyists in Europe tens of millions of dollars to shape policy and law.

Didier Reynders, Belgium's EU commissioner hopeful and foreign minister backed bill that could sentence whistle-blowers to five years in prison and fine journalists up to €5,000.

Around 30 members of European Economic Social Committee, who live and work primarily in Brussels or nearby, have claimed €1.47m in a 'daily subsistence' allowance from European taxpayers to cover accommodation, food and local transport for meetings held in Brussels.

The German former secretary-general of the European Commission held some 21 meetings which were registered in the lobby register. But no documents appeared to exist summarising what was said.

European Commission documents on meeting with Tony Blair describe chances of second referendum have become "credible".

PhD researcher Alexander Hoppe said street protests against the copyright directive came "way too late", because EU institutions had already found a compromise deal on the text.

Christine Lagarde will succeed European Central Bank president Mario Draghi at a time of deepening polarisation among eurozone member states. It will take all of her skills as a leader and communicator to safeguard the institution's independence.

In EU law, it is often left to national governments to set the maximum level of fines. This leads to a patchwork situation which could be exploited by companies concentrating only on profits.

EU citizens filed applications to see documents 6,912 times last year. The commission called this "a striking increase" compared to 2017 - and subtly hints at needing more staff.

The European Parliament questions whether the ombudsman had the right to criticise the institution's "margin of discretion" in deciding on publication of confidential papers about the controversial monthly €4,513 expenses lump sum for MEPs.

London and Washington had been rumoured, but instead the German political mastermind behind the EU commission will now work as a quasi-EU ambassador in Vienna. He irked many in Brussels but also shook things up.