Gianni Pittella, president of the Socialists and Democrats Group in the European Parliament, stated:
"Alenka Bratušek was rejected simply because she performed very badly at her hearing. And the transparent and united vote proved it. There has not been any kind of political prejudice toward Ms Bratušek.
"Now, the Socialists and Democrats firmly believe that there are very good reasons why the natural candidate for that portfolio should be Tanja Fajon.
"First of all, because her name was among those in the list provided by the Slovenian government. Secondly, Ms Fajon has a long experience in the European Parliament and she has already proved her competencies and reliability. And she is ready to prove it once again during the hearing.
"The candidacy of Ms Fajon would therefore also represent a guarantee for the Commission which could start working according to the planned timetable.
"Any alternative option could affect this goal and will not appear reasonable for the S&D Group."
