Luxembourg pushing for more senior post for EU commissioner

Luxembourg prime minister Jean-Claude Juncker is set to demand a more "high profile" post for its EU commissioner in the next term.

Viviane Reding is currently the country's commissioner and has held the information society and telecoms brief for the past five years.

Reding is the longest-serving EU commissioner and has been re-nominated to serve another term, making her the only commissioner to serve three terms.

But there is still uncertainty as to which portfolio she might be offered.

Now it has emerged that Juncker told commission president José Manuel Barroso on Monday that Luxembourg will seek either the competition or internal market portfolio when the new executive is formed and takes over on 1 December.

According to a well-placed source, if she is unable to get one of these two posts she will seek an expanded telecoms brief to include the policy area of intellectual property rights.

Reding's efforts to reduce roaming charges and termination rates over the past five years have earned her a reputation as an energetic defender of consumer interest.

However, it is thought she will lose the telecoms brief with a Barroso senior aide telling the FT this week that he "would be surprised" if she keeps her post.

Speaking to this website on Thursday, Reding said, "Right now, I am happy with the telecoms post and, at this stage, do not want to be drawn on what may or may not come up."

Reding took her current position in 2004, having acted as commissioner for education, culture, youth and media for the five years prior to that.

She won a seat in the recent European elections but most pundits say she is "highly unlikely" to take up the seat when parliament resumes in Strasbourg next week. Instead, it is likely to be offered to another candidate on the list.

The telecoms DG is the fourth biggest in the commission, employing some 1300 staff.

Reding was speaking ahead of a lecture on digital Europe organised the Lisbon Council.

In the lecture, she discussed the role and potential of the digital economy in boosting jobs and growth, saying that Europe should focus less in future on institutional change.

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