The new EU Commission

On August 12, José Manuel Barroso, President-designate of the European Commission, announced the policy portfolios that have been allocated to each member of his team.

Traditionally, August is the holiday season for staff of the European institutions but it will certainly not be the case for the members of the incoming Commission as they prepare to shoulder their new responsibilities. It will not be a cushy job for any one of them, given the many challenges that lie ahead.

In his press conference, Mr Barroso made it a point to stress the extensive professional and political experience of the Commissioners-designate. They include former prime ministers and ministers as well as some who have already served as Commissioners. Others were responsible for negotiating their country's EU accession or have given sterling service as members of the convention entrusted with the task of drafting a European Constitution.

Mr Barroso highlighted the competence of the individuals making up his team but he also emphasised his determination that they should all work together as a team. Underlying this objective is the decision, which he already announced, to relocate all the Commissioners' offices into one building (the Berlaymont building in Brussels).

To quote Mr Barroso: "I have organised a strong team to ensure we work efficiently and achieve the goals we have set ourselves. I attach great importance to team players, committed to the European general interest. Commissioners will work closely together so as to deliver real benefits for EU citizens."

It must be remembered that the role of each Commissioner is not restricted to the management specifically entrusted to him or her. Much the same as happens in a Cabinet of ministers, within each individual country, the Commission also meets regularly, as a college, and decides collectively on all issues. In this respect, all Commissioners are equal and will have an identical weight within the process of collective decision making.

Mr Barroso's unambiguous declaration has laid to rest the many predictions about first- and second-class Commissioners, which had preceded the announcement of the portfolios. Whatever had been said on the subject, it is definitely Mr Barroso's team and no one else's.

The portfolios, as announced, do not involve any revolutionary shake-up of the departments that make up the Directorates-General (DGs) that constitute the backbone of the European Commission. Most have been retained as currently formed. However, there have been some changes in the way certain departments are grouped together and especially there is additional emphasis on the co-ordination of their effort towards the achievement of particular objectives.

The previously dual portfolios of transport and energy, agriculture and fisheries, and internal market and taxation have been split down into their component responsibilities to secure a better focus. Similarly, financial control has been separated from budgetary affairs, much in the same way that the European Parliament has a Committee for Budgetary Control which is distinct from the Committee for Budgetary Affairs.

The financial control function will, in fact, be overseen by one of the five Vice-Presidents nominated by Mr Barroso, namely Commissioner Siim Kallas, who will be responsible for Administrative Affairs, Audit and Anti-fraud. Management reform, especially within the Commission but also as concerns the other EU institutions, must be perceived as an ongoing process that needs clear direction and a steady hand. It will be the responsibility of this Vice-President to ensure sound management and provide clear reporting to the European Parliament.

Also assigned to a Vice-President is responsibility for Enterprise and Industry, which will be taken over by Commissioner Gunther Verheugen, who needs no introduction in Malta in the light of his various visits as Commissioner for Enlargement. Mr Barroso has clearly established as one of his principal objectives the desire to revitalise the Lisbon Strategy - to make Europe the world's most competitive economy by 2010. This will require a greater effort to hasten the implementation of the many measures which the Lisbon strategy envisages, this being the most effective and sustainable means to promote greater economic growth within the EU. Towards this objective, Mr Barroso will personally chair meetings on the subject of competitiveness that will bring together a number of Commissioners. This additional measure is intended to facilitate even greater coherence in the Commission's approach to the multifaceted subject of competitiveness.

Commissioner Margot Wallström, currently Environment Commissioner, is one of the other Vice-Presidents; she has been assigned responsibility for a new portfolio, namely Institutional Relations and Communication Strategy. On this point, Mr Barroso has been very outgoing in his statements: "I attach particular importance to communicating Europe. (It is for this reason that) I have assigned a Vice-President to work specifically on a communications strategy. What Europe does and why it does it must be communicated to people more clearly."

Of course, also within Mr Barroso's team is Commissioner Joe Borg who has been assigned responsibility for Fisheries and Maritime Affairs. The first area, namely fisheries, is a tricky responsibility since it is a subject which often appears to be dormant but which has a tendency to 'explode', from time to time, into veritable crisis situations which require considerable diplomacy and particular tact - two qualities that Dr Borg undoubtedly has and which he demonstrated so aptly during Malta's negotiations for EU accession.

The other subject, co-ordination of maritime affairs, is a relatively new field for the European Commission and will require considerable organisational skills as the Commission develops its capacity to address the relevant issues. This is also another quality that Dr Borg certainly does not lack as was manifest in the expert way in which he built up, from scratch and in a short period of time, the EU Directorate.

Joe Borg's appointment as Commissioner for Fisheries and Maritime Affairs could even have an additional dimension, one which no one has as yet factored. I hasten to add, what follows is my personal assessment but I believe that it is a sensible one since it is derived from my practical experience, acquired directly in my contacts as Minister for Economic Services.

To come to the point: I remember hosting in Malta the Deputy Prime Minister of Iceland who highlighted the obstacle that the subject of fisheries posed to the possibility of his country opening negotiations for EU membership. Even at that point, there was a special interest in Iceland at Malta's quest for membership and especially on its negotiations concerning fishing rights within the relevant zone around the Maltese Islands.

I would not be surprised at all if the advent of a new Commissioner for Fisheries, one who comes from another small country and who has been personally involved in negotiations to safeguard legitimate local fishing interests, could arouse new interest by the Icelandic government in reassessing their future relations with the EU.

At the moment, this consideration is purely my surmise. However, the rest of what I have written is derived from solid facts. My best wishes therefore to Mr Barroso, to Joe Borg and to his fellow Commissioners. I wish them all success in their new posts. It is us, as European citizens, who will be the beneficiaries of their commitment and endeavour.