The team gets ready

During the past summer the EU Commissioner was given the green light by Member States and EU Parliament. The program was defined some time ago. The Commissioners-designate will undergo hearings to the presence of MEPs. If things proceed smoothly, in February the new Commission will be finally at work in its capacities as the promoter of EU legislation, guarantor of the treaties, and as the EU’s “managing director”.Implementing the program. “We have a European program. And now we have a European team”. Following his nomination by all 27 Member States and before his approval as President of the next Commission by the European Parliament, José Manuel Barroso, presented on November 27 his proposal regarding the portfolio responsibilities for the next Commission. The Portuguese politician underlined, “This College will implement the political guidelines that I presented to the European Parliament in September”. The new College will have 7 Vice-Presidents, and “three of the Vice-Presidents will be women”, including Vice-President Baroness Catherine Ashton who will, at the same time, be the Union’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. The new College will have 27 members, nine of whom are women. The members of the College come from different political families, notably the European People’s Party (EPP), the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S & D), and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE). 14 members, including the President, were already members of the outgoing College. Barroso said he took into account “the need for different balances” between small and large States, between the different regional areas and between genders. New assignments. “The Commissioners-designate will present themselves in the hearings before the European Parliament on January 11-19”, Barroso pointed out. The vote of consent on the new Commission as a whole is foreseen to take place on 26 January. After the approval by the Council, the Commission is due to take office in February. President Barroso has given a new look to the College of his second mandate. He has announced a number of new portfolios: Home Affairs, Justice and Fundamental Rights. He reconfigured a number of other portfolios: Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth; Health and Consumer Policy; Industry and Entrepreneurship; Research and Innovation; International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response. One of the key tasks of this College will be “to give life to the new opportunities provided by the Lisbon Treaty”, he declared. New names and responsibilities. The college includes the names of personalities known in Brussels, personalities that have already performed their skills on the European scenario, and others unknown in the EU. The Countries that appear to have the most prestigious portfolios include Poland, Luxembourg, the United Kingdom, Romania and Finland. Follows the College proposed by Barroso: Joaquin Almunia (Spain): Competition, Vice-President of the Commission; Laszlo Andor (Hungary): Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion; Baroness Catherine Ashton (United Kingdom); High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security and Vice-President of the Commission; Michel Barnier (France): Internal Market and Services; Dacian Ciolos (Romania): Agriculture and Rural Development; John Dalli (Malta): Health and Consumer Policy; Maria Damanaki (Greece): Maritime Affairs and Fisheries; Karel De Gucht (Belgium): Trade; Stefan Fule (Czech Republic): Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy; Johannes Hahn (Austria): Regional Policy; Connie Hedegaard (Denmark): Climate Action; Maire Geogheghan-Quinn (Ireland): Research and Innovation; Rumiana Jeleva (Bulgaria): International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response; Siim Kallas (Estonia): Transport, Vice-President of the Commission; Neelie Kroes (The Netherlands): Digital Agenda, Vice-President of the Commission; Janusz Lewandowski: Budget and Financial Programming; Cecilia Malmstrom (Sweden): Home Affairs; Günter Oettinger (Germany): Energy; Andris Piebalgs (Latvia): Development; Janez Potocnick (Slovenia): Environment; Viviane Reding (Luxembourg): Justice, Fundamental Rights and Citizenship, Vice-President of the Commission; Olli Rein (Finland): Economic and Monetary Affairs; Maros Sefcovic (Slovakia): Vice-President of the Commission for Inter-Institutional Relations and Administration; Algirdas Semeta (Lithuania): Taxation and Customs Union, Audit and Anti-Fraud; Antonio Tajani (Italy): Industry and Entrepreneurship, Vice-President of the Commission.Forthcoming commitments. “It’s a well-balanced team and the fields of action within the college are clearly ascribed” said Fredrik Reinfeldt, Swedish Premier and President-in-office of the European Union commenting on the Commission portfolio responsibilities within the institutional framework. “The EP is now called to approve the Commissioners, I impatiently await the results of the ‘exam’ and I hope that Barroso’s proposal will be endorsed”, he added. The President of the Euro-Chamber Jerzy Buzek, from Poland, said he appreciates Barroso’s work, and added: “The Parliament is ready to examine the Commissioners”. Buzek announced that the Commissioner’s preparation will be assessed with “in-depth hearings”.