By Bruno Waterfield - 1st September 2004
EUpolitix.com looks at the men and women who take control of the EU's executive this November.
José Manuel Barroso - European Commission President
The relatively unknown former Portuguese leader has already shown an astute political touch in contrast to the gaffe-prone Romano Prodi. Barroso has set himself three difficult tasks: driving economic growth; laying the groundwork for a new EU ‘foreign minister’ and overcoming “euro-apathy” among Europe’s citizens. His “redesigned” executive delivers a jobs share-out that seems to have satisfied the EU’s big players, appeased smaller states concerned about a European ‘carve-up’ and brought new countries in on the act.
Vice-President Günter Verhuegen - ‘Commissioner for Enterprise and Industry’
The current EU enlargement chief takes on a pivotal role to boost European economic growth. He will be seeking to make good on a four-year-old Lisbon EU summit pledge to make Europe the world’s most competitive economy by 2010. Progress has been disappointing and Lisbon may be the new European Commission’s greatest challenge. Verheugen’s work as enlargement chief successfully negotiating membership terms for ten new EU members has been widely praised. But the German may find his new brief a tough nut to crack, his lack of business experience after over two decades in centre-left politics may attract flak from industry, and forthcoming controversial labour market reforms are bound to spark trade union and Socialist protests.
Vice-President Margot Wallström – ‘Commissioner for Institutional Relations and Communication Strategy’
The photogenic and media savvy environment commissioner will be in the frontline of EU efforts to bridge “euro-apathy” as many European countries prepare for referendums on Europe’s proposed constitution. Her role will be an overtly political brief to tackle a threat Barroso highlighted in his speech to the European Parliament in July. Wallström knows what she is up against: the close friend of murdered Swedish foreign minister Anna Lindt helped to lead - and lose - Sweden's euro campaign last year. After that defeat she urged more “political leadership” to engender “better knowledge about the rest of Europe and to a better feeling for Europe”.
Vice-President Jacques Barrot - ‘Commissioner for Transport’
The former regional policy chief returns with a brief that has lost its former energy component. Barrot, a close ally and political fixer for French President Jacques Chirac, has already come under fire in his national media. Press critics regard his new job as a let down for France and Barrot as something of a lightweight Elysee crony. But France has a place at the EU top table. Transport also involves key competition interests for Paris – including EU legal action against Ryanair, a low-cost rival to Air France. A key task will be reviving currently stalled EU-US ‘open skies’ talks.
Vice-President Siim Kallas – ‘Commissioner for Administrative Affairs, Audit and Anti-Fraud’.
“I call him "Mr Triple A,” said Barroso when making the appointment. The co-commissioner for economic and monetary affairs and former Estonian prime minister vice president steps into Neil Kinnock’s shoes. The job is a politically charged one since financial scandals triggered the collapse of Jacques Santer’s commission in 1999, and irregularities at Eurostat have dogged Romano Prodi’s administration.
Vice-President Rocco Buttiglione – ‘Commissioner for Justice, Freedom and Security’
Italy’s former finance minister replaces current competition Mario Monti whose desire to come back to Brussels was stymied by the domestic political requirements of Silvio Berlusconi. The justice policy area is a growing one with an EU asylum policy and post Madrid security measures beefing up the post’s political clout. A new European constitution will also give Brussels more justice powers. Unlike some other new commissioners Buttiglione has not shrunk from entering the political fray, giving his backing to controversial plans to set up transit camps for asylum-seekers on EU borders. Liberals have already pledged a “rocky ride” for the Italian during hearings later this month.
Neelie Kroes-Smit – ‘Commissioner for Competition’
Kroes may not be a vice-president, and like others will be coordinated by Verhuegen, but her competition job is a key one. Enforcing Europe’s tough anti-merger and state subsidy rules can involve bruising egos in Paris, Berlin and elsewhere. Kroes will continue a Netherlands tradition of taking jobs which require neutrality.
Charlie McCreevy – ‘Commissioner for Internal Market and Services’
Key to meeting Europe’s economic pledges will be the policing of the EU’s single market. Former Irish finance minister McCreevy must take on national capitals which have failed to enact European legislation – France has the worst record. McCreevy must step into the shoes of the respected Frits Bolkestein and in the Barroso shake-up loses one DG (taxation) and the power to apply free movement of goods rules.
Peter Mandelson – ‘Commissioner for Trade’
The UK’s former Northern Ireland and trade and industry minister is set to become the Brussels ‘bete noir’ of Britain’s strident eurosceptic media – a situation that could become a distraction for a politician with a reputation for ‘spin’. Mandelson’s job is an important one with world trade talks at a critical stage but he will be overshadowed by Verhuegen and many of his officials will be swallowed up by a developing EU diplomatic service under Solana. A keen reformer, Mandelson also faces opposition from France over the pace and scope of an EU overhaul of agriculture subsidies.
László Kovács – ‘Commissioner for Energy’
Hungary’s former foreign minister takes a dedicated EU energy brief, sharing a DG with Barrot. He will be involved tackling issues on energy security and seeking liberalisation of EU energy markets.
Olli Rehn – ‘Commissioner for Enlargement’
The current enterprise commissioner returns to negotiate Bulgaria, Romania and Croatia’s bid for EU membership within the lifetime of Barroso’s commission. The Finn must also handle the delicate issue of Turkey and a December debate over Ankara’s attempt to join the EU.
Joaquin Almunia – ‘Commissioner for Economic and Monetary Affairs’
Almunia stays on with the same brief. A rethink of the EU’s Stability and Growth Pact will feature in Barroso’s push for economic growth. But Almunia must stand down in late 2006 or early 2007 triggering a reshuffle. His job will be up for grabs as Javier Solana becomes EU ‘foreign minister’ and commission vice-president under a new European constitution.
Benita Ferrero-Waldner – ‘Commissioner for External Relations and European Neighbourhood Policy’
This high profile post, previously held by UK commissioner Chris Patten, is effectively downgraded in order to provide a ‘soft landing’ for Solana’s commission entry. But Austria’s former foreign minister will be specialising in the growing importance of the EU neighbourhood brief.
Danuta Hübner - ‘Commissioner for Regional Policy’
Dalia Grybauskaite - ‘Commissioner for Financial Programming and Budget’
Poland’s current co-commissioner for trade, Hübner, and Lithuania’s current co-commissioner for culture, Grybauskaite return to politically important posts as Brussels defends proposals for a €28 billion boost to spending between 2007 and 2013. The entry of ten, mainly poorer, EU countries, such as Poland, will also trigger a sensitive shake-up of regional policy cash.
Ingrida Udre – ‘Commissioner for Taxation and Customs Union’
The relatively unknown former speaker of Latvia’s parliament takes a new policy brief as Germany and France push for EU action to stop East European countries undercutting corporation taxes set by Berlin or Paris.
Mariann Fischer Boel – ‘Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development’
Joe Borg - ‘Commissioner for Fisheries and Maritime Affairs’
Denmark’s former fisheries minister, Fischer Boel, shares a formerly combined portfolio with Malta's current co-commissioner for development, Borg. Fischer Boel will face pressure from the agriculture lobby as EU CAP and trade reforms gather momentum.
Stavros Dimas – ‘Commissioner for Environment’
The Greek employment commissioner returns wearing a new hat and his background in finance and trade helps give Barroso’s EU executive a free-market flavour. Dimas dives in the deep end representing the EU at COP 10 post-Kyoto talks in December and must oversee the EU’s climate change emissions trading scheme.
Markos Kyprianou – ‘Commissioner for Health and Consumers Protection’
The current budget co-commissioner and a former lawyer replaces another lawyer David Byrne in a brief with a strong legal slant. Also like Byrne the Cypriot, a non-smoker, will put tobacco control high on his political agenda.
Vladimir Spidla – ‘Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities’.
The Czech Republic’s former prime minister and one-time saw mill worker ousted current health co-commissioner Pavel Telicka to take a high-profile portfolio. He will be one of the key players in Verheugen’s competition group of commissioners.
Louis Michel – ‘Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid’
Belgium’s former foreign minister got the post he pitched for. The cigar puffing Michel, an outspoken critic of US Iraq policy, can be expected to play a prominent role in sporadic Trans-Atlantic aid wars over the focus of international development policy.
Janez Potocnik – ‘Commissioner for Science and Research’
Slovenia’s current co-commissioner for enlargement takes a traditionally low profile portfolio which has lost key competances to Verhuegen.
Viviane Reding – ‘Commissioner for Information Society and Media’
Luxembourg’s Reding drops her low-profile culture portfolio to take over the information society DG (formerly coupled with enterprise). She also takes with her EU audiovisual policy, a preserve of Francophones, and media programmes.
Ján Figel – ‘Commissioner for Education, Training, Culture, and Multilinguism’
Slovakia’s current co-commissioner for enterprise draws what many regard as the shortest straw, taking the culture, sport, youth and education brief. His job, usually associated with trips to film festivals and the giving of awards, may have a more political role as the issue of language climbs the agenda. Figel will be overseeing the work of the overstretched DG Translation, which is currently struggling to translate the Brussels paper mountain into 20 languages. And more official EU languages are on the way.
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