Hungary nominates economist to EU Commission

Hungary has nominated Laszlo Andor, an international economist and board member at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, as its EU Commissioner, Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai said today.

Andor's "professional aptitude and human dignity are beyond any doubt," Bajnai told a news conference. "With his influence and competence he can enhance Hungary's standing and strengthen its informal influence."

"This Commission will have a big role to lead Europe out of its crisis amid the new framework that the Lisbon Treaty provides," Bajnai said. "This crisis is not over until employment figures begin to improve."

Andor, 43, is a well-known academic and editor of the left-wing journal Eszmelet (Awakening). He was an economic policy adviser to Socialist premier Ferenc Gyurcsany, who stepped down in April.

Andor declined to say which portfolio he might hold, but said talks on commission posts would finish in the next few weeks and Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso might change the structure of the portfolios.

"My background determines me for certain tasks. I am an economist with a wide-ranging expertise," Andor told Reuters.

At the EBRD, Andor represents the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and Croatia.