MEP 'lined up' to become Poland's next EU commissioner

Polish centre-right MEPs Janusz Lewandowski has emerged as the frontrunner to become his country's next EU commissioner.

According to a number of well-placed sources, Lewandowski, seen to have been an effective chairman of parliament's budget committee, has been earmarked for the post by Polish prime minister Donald Tusk.

If so, that is expected to disappoint Poland's current commissioner, Danuta Hübner. Although she won a seat in the European elections, the university professor is thought to favour a second commission term, preferably with an economic portfolio.

Civic Platform, the centre-right party led by Tusk, won 25 of the 50 seats on offer while Law and Justice, the country's main opposition party came in second with 15 seats.

One Brussels-based Polish journalist said, "Sources say Tusk has already made his mind up and plumped for Lewandowski. It would be a logical choice because the two are close, both are from the same party, the same city (Gdansk) and similar background."

Hübner, who is responsible for the regional policy dossier, must make up her mind whether she wants to take up her seat or go for a second term before parliament's first formal session, in Strasbourg on 14 July.

In the elections, she polled over 300,000 votes, making it one of best results in Poland.

There is a third likely candidate for the commission post: Jacek Saryusz-Wolski, who was foreign affairs committee chairman in the last parliament and is a former Europe minister.

Like Lewandowski, himself a former government minister, he was re-elected an MEP last week.

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