In these commissioner hearings politics and the law are very close to one another. The temptation to use legal rules and procedures for political ends is real and present.

As Josep Borrell faces questions from MEPs, a report from Amnesty International finds the EU's commitment to protect and support human rights defenders in its foreign policy is not consistently upheld - not between nor even within countries.

What Greece needs is for its new government to have the courage to say what everyone knows needs to happen - namely that the large-scale returns to Turkey are off the table and that the island containment policy is unsustainable.

Margaritas Schinas at his hearing before MEPs on Thursday has an opportunity to put the core values of the EU – peace, sustainable development and human rights – back at the heart of EU migration policy.

Europe is falling behind in the global competition. There are many reasons for this, but the most obvious one is that it is too difficult and too expensive to do business here.

While much ink has been spilled on the naming of the new migration "European Way of Life" commissioner, another shift has gone largely unnoticed - the new European Commission will no longer include a commissioner for "Development".

Some EU member states' law-enforcement agencies are incapable of mounting even basic financial crime enquiries - especially Malta, where allegations of personal and political corruption continue to propagate, and an investigative journalist has been assassinated.

Helena Dall's biggest challenge as equality commissioner will be securing EU accession to the Istanbul Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence, while Dubravka Suica as demography commissioner must reassure on abortion and contraceptives.

A three-point plan for the new EU Commission, from the European People's Party official think tank, the Wilfried Martens Centre for European Studies.

Detaching the Netanyahu-era alliance with Hungary's Viktor Orban and other illiberal regimes in Europe will serve both EU unity and Israel's integrity. Scraping the deal with Poland to rewrite the history of Second World War falls under the same category.

Mainstream British politicians have a responsibility to find ways how to counter the growing far-right extremist threat. Overturning Brexit will only serve to intensify it.

Matteo Salvini's recent gambit may have failed, but, in his own words: "From today you will find me even more pissed off and determined. I will go from town to town and we will take this country back."

Brussels' current vision for cooperation on defence, where third countries can contribute but have no say in decision-making and in the guidance of operations, is unlikely to be attractive to the UK.

As ex-national leaders, we know it's not easy to withstand public pressures and put collective interests ahead of domestic concerns. But without strong institutional leadership, EU values themselves risk ringing hollow, not least to those seeking protection on Europe's shores.