Musical Chairs
Civitas, 25 November 2009
As President of the EU Commission, José Manuel Barroso has begun the tricky task of distributing the portfolios for the 2009-2014 term; one Commissioner from each of the EU’s 27 member states will be responsible for setting and managing EU policy in a particular area. Member states are currently engaged in a game of ‘musical chairs’ to win the most influential seats, so when the music stops, who will end up in a pile on the floor?
Barroso received all 27 nominees yesterday (24th Nov) and he is expected to announce the final composition of the Commission on 1st December (when the Lisbon Treaty will enter into force). All of the nominees will then be interviewed by Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) from 11th January, when they must justify their appointment by proving their competence for the role. The new Commission is expected to take office in late January or early February 2010.
Barroso’s decisions on Commission portfolios will aim to satisfy the Heads of EU States as well as MEPs; in 2004, the European Parliament exerted its power to influence the composition of the Commission when MEPs voted to force the Italian nominee to be withdrawn.
Nominees for the 2009-2014 Commission include: 13 centre-right, 8 liberals and 6 centre-left commissioners. 9 nominees are women and 14 are returning commissioners (including President Barroso). Key Commission portfolios include: internal market, competition, trade and economic and monetary affairs. There has also been speculation that Barroso might “create” new portfolios for justice and fundamental rights, internal affairs and climate action (Denmark has nominated its Climate Minister Connie Hedegaard). Despite the Lisbon Treaty’s original proposal to reduce the size of the EU Commission from 2014, Ireland’s rejection of the Treaty last year, and the subsequent negotiations designed to secure ‘Yes’ vote in October, highlighted how EU states are keen for each member to retain its own Commissioner. Ireland scored a victory in the negotiations with a guarantee that all states will keep their Commissioner, unless states agree an alternative arrangements via a unanimous vote. Therefore, for the time being at least, Barroso will continue to take nominations from all 27 member states and “create” positions for them, rather than appointing those required to perform necessary roles…
Barroso is not legally required to rotate the influential portfolios between states; however some portfolios have already changed hands. For example, Britain’s Catherine Ashton has secured the Foreign Affairs portfolio as the new-fangled EU High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy. She will certainly have a very busy time next month – she takes up her new foreign policy role on 1st December and will appear in front of MEPs to defend her appointment on 2nd December. She will then chair an EU-Ukraine summit on 3rd December before leading the first meeting of foreign affairs ministers on 7th December. If she isn’t worn-out by the New Year, she will take up her post of Vice President of the Commission in early February 2010.
Ashton’s new diplomatic corps has been described as the “biggest diplomatic administration in the world” – it already has 5,000 staff based in 130 countries and will eventually expand to cost an expected £45 billion before 2013. However, cost cannot be associated with influence because, as has been commented, whilst the EU now “has the beginnings of a structure of embassies abroad, its states have no collective view [on Foreign Policy]”.
So did Minister Gordon Brown lose out on a key economic position in the next Commission by conceding to Ashton’s appointment as EU High Representative?
Poland and Hungary’s nominees both have economic backgrounds, but it is strongly anticipated that the internal market and financial services portfolio will go to France’s nominee, Michel Barnier (who served as a commissioner under Romano Prodi from 1999-2004). If so, former Conservative minister Michael Fallon fears that “we will have a French Commissioner regulating the City of London”. There has, however, been speculation that Barroso might split the current Single market portfolio to create two separate – internal market and financial services – portfolios.
Further bids for Commission roles include the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Bulgaria and Latvia all looking to secure the enlargement portfolio, and Germany is keen to get the industry or energy roles, along with the presidency of the European Central Bank. EUobserver predicts that Austria is likely to get the Trade role (Britain’s post in the last Commission).
Belguim has certainly secured a strong position in the EU for the coming years – its former Prime Minster, Van Rompuy, will take up the EU Presidency position on 1st January 2010. And Belgium will take over the rotating presidency of the Council of Ministers in the second half of 2010, so Belgians will lead meetings of EU Heads of State and all meetings of Ministers in the Council.
The closed-door nomination and appointment of EU Commissioners lacks transparency and democratic credibility. Whilst the EU Commission’s status as a “supranational” institution, is often cited as a reason for its being the only EU institution able to propose new legislation, the “musical chairs” squabbling by states as they scramble to secure prized seats in the EU Commission, suggests otherwise. Those individuals who achieve a place in the Commission will be motivated to protect their national interest when they make decisions that affect all citizens within the EU.