By Lewis Crofts - 2nd February 2004
Ambassador to the EU Peter Balazs will take up Hungary’s chair on the European Commission on May 1, leaving just two spots unclaimed on the Brussels executive.
Balazs, 62, who was previously involved in Hungary’s EU accession negotiations, has been running the Hungarian Mission to the EU since 2003.
He has also served as ambassador to Denmark and Germany.
On Monday, he was given the nod over his main rival for the post 59-year-old Europe minister Endre Juhasz.
Hungarian prime minister Peter Medgyessy welcomed in a “new era” for his nation declaring that with their permanent representative Hungary would now “have its own word to say in EU affairs”.
Hungarian foreign minister Laszlo Kovacs claims that European Commission president Romano Prodi has already earmarked Balazs for a post in the EU’s structural funds department.
Prodi has now finalised eight of his ten new commissioners with questions marks still hanging over candidates from Cyprus and the Czech Republic.
Prague is currently the scene of a bitter dispute over who will be sent to Brussels after prime minister Vladimir Spidla aggravated the parliamentary opposition with his bullish insistence on Milos Kuzvart - the relatively unknown environment minister who belongs to Spidla’s party.
Cyprus’ choice, meanwhile, is still plagued by doubts over whether the island will reconcile its Greek and Turkish communities by the May 1 deadline for EU enlargement.
Balazs and the others will start work on May 1 for a period of six months shadowing the current commissioners.
In November, the present commission will be dissolved and the newcomers will be hoping for reselection to a five-year post on the executive body.
For a full rundown of the new candidates read the EUpolitix.com Special Report on Europe’s new-look commission, its structure and its members by clicking on the link to the right.
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