BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Pierre Moscovici must answer further written questions from the European Parliament's economic affairs committee by late on Sunday before it considers again his nomination as EU economics commissioner, lawmakers said on Friday.
Two other nominees have been given extra questions by the committee and one of them, British financial affairs nominee Jonathan Hill, has been asked back for a second hearing.
Center-right members of the committee gave Moscovici, the French Socialist former finance minister, a severe grilling at a hearing on Thursday over his ability to discipline Paris for missing EU deficit targets.
The parliamentary group tweeted: "Moscovici to resit. He will have to answer further questions before being assessed."
One parliamentary source said the committee had discussed calling Moscovici back for a second hearing but decided against that at a meeting late on Thursday.
The committee has given Hill and Czech liberal Vera Jourova, the justice nominee, until Sunday evening to reply to additional written questions. Hill's second hearing is set for next week.
The committee will hear Latvia's Valdis Dombrovskis, vice president-designate for the euro, on Monday afternoon, and Jyrki Katainen, another vice president-designate, on Tuesday morning. So, it may not be until Tuesday afternoon before it can consider Hill, Moscovici and Jourova's answers.
The confirmation process for the Commission proposed by its incoming president, Jean-Claude Juncker, has run into problems this week as rival parliamentary groups fight over a handful of candidates, which includes Spanish conservative Miguel Arias Canete, whom the left and Greens oppose as energy commissioner.
Hungarian education and culture nominee Tibor Navracsics has also been set further written questions by the parliamentary committee considering his candidacy.
(Reporting by Alastair Macdonald; Editing by Louise Ireland)