Goodbye Siim Kallas, hello... who?

The Commission president announced his nominees to serve in the first post-Lisbon Treaty Commission before the Christmas break.
The ‘administration, audit and anti-fraud’ portfolio of Commissioner Siim Kallas – who has been leading on ‘lobby transparency’ for the past five years – has been split between three Commissioners: Algirdas Šemeta (Lithuania) (taxation and customs union, audit and anti-fraud),

Maros Sefcovic (Slovakia) (inter-institutional relations and administration) and Janusz Lewandowski (Poland) (budget and financial programming). But none has specifically been handed lobbying transparency as a responsibility.
Kallas, who is a former prime minister of Estonia, is preparing to switch to the transport portfolio.
Kallas handed the lobby regulation mandate back to Barroso before Christmas, releasing a short public statement on the progress achieved under his watch (see 'quote boxout', below).
Kallas also wrote to Barroso, saying that “to ensure we maintain the Commission’s lead on this important governance issue, protecting the reputation of our institutions, I would like to recommend that the Secretariat-General’s technical work with the [European] Parliament’s service continues in the coming weeks and months, and that you assign clear political responsibility for driving this issue forward in the next Commission.”
Just before the Christmas break a cross-party group of four MEPs called on Barroso to clarify how he plans to boost lobbying transparency. Dennis de Jong, Dan Jørgensen, Corinne Lepage and Claude Turmes said that Barroso should ‘include one Commissioner in charge with a strong mandate to advance this agenda’.
The quartet said that they were ‘surprised and concerned’ that none of Šemeta, Sefcovic and Lewandoski had been specifically allocated responsibility for advancing lobbying transparency.
As the January edition of Public Affairs News went to press (before Christmas) it seemed most likely that lobby transparency would fall to Sefcovic, but the situation is expected to be clarified during January.

QUOTE BOXOUT: Siim Kallas signs off on lobbying transparency....
“When I launched the debate [on lobbying transparency] five years ago, we had nothing. Now, we have a register, with more than 2,170 [now more than 2,300] organisations; we have a positive change of culture inside and outside the Commission; still no scandals; clear decisions on the next steps to improve the register, and very good progress on agreeing a joint register with the European Parliament.
“It isn’t ‘mission accomplished’ for EU lobby regulation, but it certainly is a much stronger set of results than I think most observers initially expected.”

*** Keen to know more about Barroso’s new line-up of Commissioners? Read THIS online-only analysis (below):

‘Barroso II: Promotions, demotions and sideways shuffles’ – an analysis by Dan Hamilton of ComRes

Former Portuguese PM Jose Manuel Barroso recently announced his nominees to serve in the first post-Lisbon Treaty European Commission. 
Among the 27 Commissioners – one for each European Union member state – are 13  members who served in the previous session, nine women, a former prime minister (Kallas) and three appointees who have never held elected office (Ashton, Sefcovic and Fuele).
Given the extent of the diplomatic horse-trading, face-saving measures and power games involved in the appointment of Commissioners, assessing the winners and losers in this complicated power game is always difficult. To adapt, however, a well-known British phrase; portfolios speak louder than words:

PROMOTIONS

*** United Kingdom (High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Vice-President of the Commission: Catherine Ashton)
A personal favourite of Barroso, Baroness Catherine Ashton has enjoyed a meteoric rise since her appointment to succeed Peter Mandelson and European Commissioner for Trade in October 2008. Despite well-founded concerns at the pro-regulation and anti-free market influence Michel Barnier is likely to wield as Internal Market Commissioner, Ashton’s appointment does indeed represent a significant victory for the UK. The US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has referred to Ashton as her “equivalent”, noting that her portfolio will include responsibility for the European External Action Service (an agency whose creation the outgoing High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy Javier Solana expects will cost more than £45bn in the period up to 2013) and will command the EU’s ambassadorial staff in more than 130 countries. Ashton’s post should not be seen as a standalone role, given its expected incursion into policy areas covered by the portfolio holders for Development (Piebalgs),

Enlargement and Neighbourhood Policy (Fuele) and International Co-operation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response (Jeleva).
 
*** Denmark (Climate Action: Connie Hedegaard)
As widely expected, the Danish Minister for Climate and Energy Connie Hedegaard has been confirmed by Barroso as his nominee to take on the newly-formed Climate Action portfolio. The portfolio will take control of the newly-formed Directorate General for Climate Change, including responsibility for international policy co-ordination, greenhouse gas emissions trading and industrial emissions controls. A former TV journalist, Hedegaard has a reputation for outspokenness in her own country and the forceful manner in which she lobbied to secure her portfolio should see her become one of the Commission’s most easily-recognisable members. Hedegaard, who will be a target for environmental and industry lobbyists in the coming years, succeeds Agriculture and Rural Development Commissioner Mariann Fischer Boel as Danish Commissioner.

*** Finland (Economic and Monetary Affairs: Ollie Rehn)
Reappointed to the Commission for a second term, sitting Enlargement Commissioner Ollie Rehn will be delighted with his move to the Economic and Monetary Affairs portfolio. President Barroso has declared that guiding European Union member states out of recession will be his second Commission’s “most important task” and Rehn appears likely to continue to continue his predecessor Joaquin Alumunia’s attendance at meetings of G20 finance ministers. Given the portfolio's responsibility for the EU's Growth and Stability Pact, the monitoring of the economic conditions in member states and analysis of structural reforms in labour and product markets, Rehn can confidently expect to exert a significant amount of influence in the coming years.

*** Hungary (Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion: Laszlo Andor)
Given the scale of the financial crisis facing many European countries, Hungarian Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai will be delighted with the Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion portfolio handed to his nominee Laszlo Andor. Andor will have responsibility for the implementation of Europe-wide legislation on working-time regulations, anti-discrimination measures and the co-ordination of national social welfare systems – key issues for European business. Similarly, given the Conservative Party’s stated pledge to review Britain’s present compliance with EU legislation in these fields, one can expect the Hungarian to play a leading role in the Commission in the coming years. Andor will succeed the country’s current Commissioner László Kovács who held the Taxation and Customs Union portfolio during the first Barroso Commission. 

*** Malta (Health and Consumer Policy: John Dalli)
Having held the Fisheries and Maritime Affairs post in the previous Commission, the allocation of the Health and Consumer Policy portfolio represents a significant diplomatic victory for Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi and the European Union’s smallest member state. Succeeding Joe Borg – who had publicly stated his ambition to be re-appointed to a second term - will be political veteran and Social Policy minister John Dalli, with responsibility for the European Medicines Agency being shifted from the Industry to Health portfolio, Dalli will be a target for pharmaceutical lobbyists throughout the next five years.

*** Sweden (Home Affairs: Cecilia Malmstrom)
Former MEP and current Swedish Europe Minister Cecilia Malmstrom will succeed Margot Wallstrom as her country’s European Commissioner. The newly formed post of Home Affairs Commissioner will hand Malmstrom control over the European Union’s border, immigration and policing policies, including the monitoring of the EU-wide Schengen visa system and European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction. Malmstrom, who has enjoyed a reputation as a high-profile and hyperactive politician in her own country, can expect to attract a similar degree of attention in her new post as member states vie for increased resources to tackle illegal immigration and asylum applications along Europe’s external borders.

*** Slovakia (Vice-President of the Commission for Inter-Institutional Relations and Administration: Maros Sefcovic)
Slovakia’s former Permanent Representative to the European Union, Maros Sefcovic’s portfolio will include responsibility for the European Commission’s Personnel and Administration and Informatics Directorates as well as overseeing the development of the European Civil Service. A career diplomat, Sefcovic is currently serving as the interim Commissioner for Education, Training & Culture following the resignation of Ján Figel in October.

*** Luxembourg (Justice, Fundamental Right and Citizenship and Vice-President of the Commission: Viviane Reding)
A Brussels veteran, Luxembourg’s Viviane Reding returns to the European Commission for an unprecedented third term. Having previously held the Education and Culture (99-04) and Information Society & Media (04-09) portfolios, Luxembourg’s nominee will be satisfied with the Justice, Fundamental Right and Citizenship post handed to her by President Barroso.  Reding will hold primary responsibility for the implementation of civil and criminal justice legislation across the European Union, including the work of the European Fundamental Rights Agency and Judicial Co-operation Unit. Beyond her responsibilities in the field of justice, Reding will succeed Margot Wallstrom as Commissioner with responsibility for the organisation’s communications strategy.

*** Belgium (Trade: Karel de Gucht)
Belgium, who held the Development and Humanitarian Aid portfolio in the previous Commission, will be delighted with the Trade portfolio handed to their returning nominee, Karel de Gucht. Coupled with the appointment of Herman Van Rompuy as the President of the Council of Ministers, the Trade appointment puts the country in a significant position of power as the determining force behind the Union’s overall political strategy, import and export polices and relations with institutions such as the World Trade Organisation. Both committed market liberals and deregulators, the two men can expect to have the ear of European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso in the coming years.

*** Estonia (Transport and Vice-President of the Commission: Siim Kallas)
Former Estonian PM Siim Kallas is swapping a job where he regulates lobbyists for one in which he will have to fend them off.  The sitting Administrative Affairs, Audit and Anti-Fraud Commissioner, who is well known among the public affairs community for his introduction of the European Transparency Initiative and voluntary register of interest representatives (the ‘lobby register’),

will shift to the transport portfolio in a move that should be viewed as a promotion.  Kallas’ move to this influential policy post will see the Estonian take control of Europe-wide responsibility for the co-ordination of rail, road, air and maritime legislation.

*** Romania (Agriculture and Rural Development: Dacian Ciolos)
Having held the frankly rather embarrassing multilingualism portfolio in the first Barroso Commission, Romanian President Traian Basescu will be both satisfied and relieved with the Agriculture and Rural Development post handed to his nominee Dacian Ciolos. Ciolos will bring significant experience to his portfolio having previously served as Romanian Agriculture Minister. The appointment of Ciolos, who attended agricultural college in France and has drawn criticism for Romania’s poor and often fraudulent administration of EU agricultural subsidies, will be a disappointment to proponents of Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) reform. Ciolos will succeed Danish Commissioner Mariann Fischer Boel, who is leaving Brussels.

*** France (Internal Market and Services: Michel Barnier)
No other Commission appointee has attracted more controversy than Barroso’s nominee to take up the influential Internal Market and Services portfolio, Michel Barnier. The Internal Market and Services portfolio is seen as one of the Commission’s most important portfolios with wide-ranging responsibilities in the fields of intellectual property rights, company law and accounting, the free movement of capital and labour and sectors such as the media, gambling and pharmaceutical services. Following Nicolas Sarkozy’s assertion that Barnier’s appointment indicates “French ideas for regulation are triumphing in Europe [and] the English are the big losers in this business”, the City of London has expressed open fears that the Frenchman will pursue a pro-regulation and anti-corporate agenda in the coming years. Barnier’s confirmation by the European Parliament, however, appears assured. Barnier, who held the Regional Development dossier in the Prodi Commission from 1999 to 2004, will succeed Jacques Barrot as France’s European Commissioner.

MOVING SIDEWAYS

*** Slovenia (Environment: Janez Potocnik)
Slovenian Commissioner Janez Potocnik will be satisfied with his move from the Science and Research post to the newly calibrated Environment portfolio – the second influential post secured by the small member state. Potocnik’s new portfolio will hand the Slovene control of the regulation of numerous areas of widespread interest to Europe’s public affairs industry, including waste disposal, minerals and water management policies. The portfolio’s competences for climate change will transfer to the newly created post of Climate Action Commissioner, which will be held by Denmark’s Connie Hedegaard. The two Commissioners can, however, be expected to work closely together on the introduction of regulatory issues affecting governments and business on a national, regional and local level. Potocnik succeeds Greek Commissioner Stavros Dimas.

*** Ireland (Research, Innovation and Science: Mairie Geoghegan-Quinn)
Replacing the effervescent Charlie McCreevy as Ireland’s European Commissioner will be Mairie Geoghegan-Quinn, a member of the Court of Auditors and former Justice Minister. Given the depth of Taoiseach Brian Cowen’s unpopularity, no sitting members of the Irish government could be considered for the post for fear that a by-election loss could further weaken the shaky Fianna Fail/Green governing coalition. With McCreevy having held the influential Internal Market post in the first Barroso Commission, Ireland will be disappointed to receive the Research, Innovation and Science portfolio. Having been plagued by significant job losses in the technology sector, however, the Irish government will be pleased to have one of their own in charge of the EU’s €50bn research budget – much of which finds its way to member states.

*** Poland (Budget and Financial Programming: Janusz Lewandowski)
As one of the largest recipients of European Union Regional Assistance funding, the allocation of the Regional Development portfolio to Danuta Hubner in 2004 was a significant victory for Poland. Prime Minister Tusk will, however, be satisfied with the Budget and Financial Programming portfolio allocated to the scholarly former Solidarnosc activist and centre-right deputy Janusz Lewandowski. With the economic crisis sparking calls from some member states for a reduction in the EU’s budget, Lewandowski can be expected to be one of the Commission’s more high-profile members during the next five years.

*** Spain (Competition and Vice-President of the Commission: Joaquin Alumunia)
Having held the Economic and Monetary Affairs portfolio in the previous Commission, Joaquin Alumunia will succeed the high-profile Nellie Kroes as Competition Commissioner. Alumunia’s new role will include sweeping powers spanning policy areas as diverse as energy, media, transportation, pharmaceuticals and financial service sectors.  A centre-left Commissioner, Alumunia’s influence over the financial services sector – including the ability to break up banking monopolies – is likely to see him playing a high-profile role in the coming years. Beyond the post’s existing remit, Alumunia’s influence has been further bolstered by Barroso’s decision to transfer responsibility for the regulation of state aid to the Spaniard’s new portfolio.

*** Germany (Energy: Gunter Oettinger)
Currently the centre-right Minister-President of the Baden Wurttemberg region, Gunter Oettinger will succeed Gunter Verhuegen as Germany’s European Commissioner. Oettinger will take control of the newly created Directorate General for Energy designed to prioritise research into the development of renewable energy technologies and to ensure the stability of Europe’s energy infrastructure and supply. The new Commissioner, who has stated his preference for member states to develop an ‘energy mix’ of fossil, renewable and nuclear energy supplies, can be expected to become a target for environmental groups and public affairs professionals in the coming years.

*** Italy (Industry and Entrepreneurship and Vice-President of the Commission: Antonio Tajani)
Returning to the European Commission for a second term, Italian appointee Antonio Tajani will switch his current Transport portfolio for the Industry and Entrepreneurship dossier. Tajani’s shift to his new post should be seen as a sideways move for the close Silvio Berlusconi ally. Legislatively speaking, the competences of the Directorate General for Industry and Entrepreneurship are among the most wide-ranging of all European Commission departments with its responsibilities for formulating Europe’s economic competitiveness agenda impacting upon the Economic and Monetary Affairs, Environment, Health, Internal Market, Research and Science dossiers. The Italian will, however, be disappointed to lose control of responsibility for pharmaceutical regulation which shifts to the Health and Consumer Policy dossier held by Malta’s John Dalli.

*** Austria (Regional Policy: Johannes Hahn)
Appointed to succeed Benita Ferrero-Walder as Austria’s European Commissioner, Science Minister Johannes Hahn will take up responsibility for the Regional Policy portfolio. This is without doubt an expected appointment given that Austria is one of the European Union’s smallest recipients of regional development funding – its only assisted area being Burgenland on the country’s eastern border with Slovakia and Hungary. The Regional Policy portfolio is, however, a powerful one with a large budget spanning European Cohesion, Regional Development, Solidarity and Social Funds. Hahn succeeds sitting Polish Commissioner Pawel Samecki who replaced Danuta Hubner as the country’s representative to the body earlier this year.

DEMOTIONS

*** Bulgaria (International Co-operation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response: Rumiana Jeleva)
Every five years, a European leader gets egg on their face following confident – even boastful – predictions as to which portfolio will be allocated to their country’s nominee for European Commissioner. This time, it’s the turn of newly elected Prime Minister Boiko Borisyov, who will be sorely disappointed with the portfolio allocated to nominee, former MEP and Foreign Minister Rumiana Jeleva. Expecting his country to maintain the strong influence the country enjoyed in the form of outgoing Consumer Protection Commissioner Meglena Kuneva, Borisov had confidently predicted Jeleva would be assigned the energy portfolio. The allocation of the International Co-operation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis portfolio is a substantial demotion for Bulgaria – particularly given the substantial role British Commissioner Catherine Ashton will play in co-ordinating the EU’s external relations.

*** Latvia (Development: Andris Piebalgs)
President Barroso surprised many when he allocated Latvian Andris Piebalgs the influential energy portfolio in 2004 – a remarkable achievement for one of the EU’s smallest member states. Piebalgs finds himself in a similar position to Bulgarian Commission nominee Rumiana Jeleva in that his responsibilities in relation to the management of DG Development and the EuropeAid agency appear to conflict with those of foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton. This is a painful demotion for Latvia, particularly at a time when the country has been forced to call upon the International Monetary Fund in order to prop up its ailing economy.

*** Netherlands (Digital Agenda and Vice-President of the Commission: Neelie Kroes)
Neelie Kroes was anything but subtle about her desire to serve a second term in the European Commission. Coming from outside Netherlands’ Prime Minister Jan Balkenende’s Christian Democrat Appeal Party, Kroes’ appointment was far from assured.  Well known for her assiduous courting of the press, the steady stream of newspaper articles to appear in recent weeks lauding Kroes’ job performance and position as the “most powerful woman in Europe” has not gone unnoticed by cynical observers of Commission politics. Kroes has secured reappointment – but has earned the ire of Commission President Barroso, who is rumoured to have tired of her seemingly-endless self-promotion. Having held the competition policy portfolio in the previous session, Kroes’ reassignment to the Digital Agenda portfolio is an embarrassing demotion.

*** Cyprus (Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth: Androulla Vassiliou)
Returning to the Commission for a second term, Androulla Vassiliou will trade her current Health portfolio for the newly created Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth dossier. There can be little doubt that Cyprus will be sorely disappointed by Vassiliou’s new portfolio, which will be largely concerned with non-legislative issues such as the EU’s own multi-lingual translation facilities and encouraging the development of a European ‘cultural identity’.

*** Czech Republic (Enlargement and Neighbourhood Policy: Stefan Fuele)
Succeeding Vladimir Spidla as the Czech Republic’s ‘man in Brussels’ will be career diplomat Stefan Fuele, the country’s former permanent representative to Nato and current Europe Minister. Interim Czech PM Jan Fischer will be disappointed with his country’s loss of the Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities portfolio, particular at a time when many European governments are pushing strongly for increased employment protection measures. With the prospect of Turkish negotiation now firmly off the table and accession negotiations with Montenegro, Albania and Iceland stalled, legislative action in the field of enlargement policy appears likely to be limited in the coming years. Similarly, it is likely that efforts to forge a meaningful European Neighbourhood Policy, particularly in relation to North Africa, Russia and Belarus, will fall to the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs.

*** Greece (Maritime Affairs and Fisheries: Maria Damanaki)
With outgoing Environment chief Stavros Dimas having been one of the more high-profile Commissioners during Barroso’s first term, freshly elected Greek PM George Papandreou will be painfully disappointed with the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries portfolio handed to his nominee Maria Damanaki. The portfolio is currently held by Joe Borg, the Maltese Commissioner. Damanaki, who was first elected to the Parliament of the Hellenic Republic as a Communist, can expect to be at the forefront of the Commission’s battles with David Cameron’s Conservative Party, which is rumoured to be considering renegotiation of British membership of the Common Fisheries Policy.

*** Lithuania (Taxation and Customs Union, Audit and Fraud: Algirdas Šemeta)
With newly elected Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite having held the influential Financial Programming and Budget during the first Barroso Commission, the country will be disappointed with the Taxation and Customs Union, Audit and Fraud portfolio handed to its nominee Algirdas Šemeta. This is, however, still a portfolio which will allow the small member state to punch above its weight on the European stage with its nominee co-ordinating EU-wide legislation on personal and company taxation, VAT and customs controls. With the British Conservatives having declared their determination to bring tackle fraud and waste in the European Union’s accounts following their widely expected election victory in 2010, Šemeta’s responsibility for the European Union’s Internal Audit and Anti-Fraud Office will likely see him take a high profile in the coming years.