Finland’s commissioner hearing: MEPs turn up heat as Henna Virkkunen bids for tech portfolio

For Finnish Henna Virkkunen, the EU’s designated new tech boss, Tuesday’s hearing is a home game.

Virkkunen is, and has been, a European lawmaker for over a decade. She will be in front of fellow lawmakers she knows quite well (from the industry and the internal market committees) and will be grilled about files that she used to cover already as a lawmaker. 

But Virkkunen’s wide portfolio — as Executive Vice President for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy — could still make for a heated exchange. After last week’s re-election of Trump as U.S. President, there have been ample calls for Europe to become more self-sufficient, also with regard to critical technologies or the defense industry. 

We’ll be bringing you all the live action below from 6.30 p.m. on November 12. You can watch the hearing live here. 

If you want to follow more of the action from the hearings, our reporters have delivered blow-by-blow updates from all 26 commissioner interviews here.

P.S.: In a debrief tomorrow, our reporters will reflect on what the hearings say about the future of the EU’s tech policy. Register now to attend.