New Environment Commissioner on Deck for Europe

BRUSSELS, Belgium, August 16, 2004 (ENS) - Europe is about to get a new environment commissioner and Margot Wallstrom of Sweden, who has served in the top environment post for the past five years, will assume one of four new European vice presidencies. She will be responsible for institutional relations and communication strategy.

European President-designate Jose Manuel Barroso (right) shakes hands with the current European President Romano Prodi, while Bertie Ahern of Ireland, then head of the European Presidency looks on. July 22, 2004. (Photo courtesy European Commission)

A multilingual lawyer, Barroso has been Portugal's Prime Minister since April 2002. He is known for having got Portugal out of its excessive deficit problems. Barroso was nominated by the European Council, the heads of state and government of all 25 EU member states, on June 29. He was confirmed by the European Parliament on July 22.

Twenty-five commissioners from the 25 member states make up the new Commission, the executive branch of the European government. The new Commission will come into effect on November 1, but first the list must be adopted by the European Council. Then it will be the European Parliament’s turn to approve the composition of the new Commission.

Stavros Dimas of Greece has been chosen as the new European environment commissioner. (Photo courtesy European Commission)

Dimas has studied law and economics in Greece and in the United States and worked briefly as a lawyer for the World Bank and for Sullivan & Cromwell, a Wall Street law firm.

He has been elected to the Greek Parliament 10 consecutive times since 1977 and has held served as Greek trade minister, agriculture minister, and later, minister of industry, energy and technology.

Other members of the Barroso team whose portfolios directly affect the environment are:

• Jacques Barrot of France, who has been tapped to hold the vice presidency responsible for transport

• Joe Borg of Malta, who will be responsible for fisheries and maritime affairs

• Janez Potocnik of Slovenia, who will be science and research commissioner

• Laszlo Kovacs of Hungary, who will hold the energy portfolio, divided for the first time from the transport portfolio

• Mariann Fischer Boel of Denmark who will be responsible for agriculture and rural development, divided for the first time from fisheries

• Markos Kyprianou of Cyprus, who will be health and consumer protection commissioner

• Louis Michel of Belgium who will handle development and humanitarian aid

"It is a very balanced team," he said. "It has the highest proportion of women ever in the European Commission and draws on experience from across the political spectrum."

Wallstrom, the present environment commissioner, is being given a high profile role in the new Commission, handling institutional relations and communication strategy. Barroso said, "I attach particular importance to communicating with Europe. The apathy shown in the last European elections is worrying. I have asked a vice president to work specifically on a communication strategy. What Europe does and why it does it must be communicated to people more clearly."

The present European Environment Commissioner Margot Wallstrom (Photo courtesy European Commission)

The role of each commissioner is not limited to managing portfolio business, Barroso explained. The Commission acts as a college and decides collectively on all issues. Each commissioner will be strictly equal in the process of collective decisionmaking. There will be no delegation of powers to commissioners’ groups.

Barroso said, “I do not want first and second class commissioners. All commissioners are equally important. I want my authority to be based on solid teamwork.”

To further enhance collegiality, the Commission will hold more informal brainstorming sessions and will improve cooperation between departments and commissioners’ private offices. To react quickly to events and set the agenda, the Commission needs a flexible organisation. Where appropriate, Commission work will be prepared in advance by thematic groups and task forces. These will draw together commissioners whose portfolios relate to a particular policy challenge.

The Barroso team will meet for the first time for an informal session on Friday, August 20 in Brussels. It must gain the confidence of and win approval from the European Parliament before November 1. Commissioners will appear in individual hearings before Parliamentary committees over the two weeks beginning September 27.

Once the Parliament has given its approval, the team will work on developing its political vision and a detailed program for the next five years.