Indications of EU commissioner portfolios emerge

Finland's Olli Rehn is likely to take charge of European Union economic and monetary affairs and Spaniard Joaquin Almunia is expected to become the bloc's antitrust chief, EU diplomats said on Thursday.

The posts are two of the most powerful in the European Commission, the EU's executive, and the changes are part of efforts to increase the bloc's influence on the world stage.

"These posts have been offered to Rehn and Almunia," one EU diplomat said. Almunia has until now been the EU's economic and monetary affairs commissioner.

The changes follow ratification of the Lisbon reform treaty, intended to make decision-making smoother in the 27-country bloc, and the appointment of a president and foreign policy chief last week to lift the EU's profile in world affairs.

The EU diplomats said European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso was also expected to appoint former Belgian Foreign Minister Karel De Gucht as trade commissioner. He has until now been the EU's development and humanitarian aid chief.

Germany's Guenther Oettinger is expected to be awarded a beefed-up energy portfolio and former French Foreign Minister Michel Barnier is likely to be put in charge of the EU's large internal market dossier, they said.

Negotiations were continuing on Thursday over whether Barnier's post would also oversee the important financial services sector or whether it would be merged with monetary affairs.

Such a change would give Rehn, until now the bloc's enlargement chief, a particularly important post in the new Commission, expected to take office early next year.

"France is still holding out. Barroso is caught in a big fight between Paris and London on this," one diplomat said.

Britain is opposed to France gaining control of the post over fears that Paris may call for taxpayer money to shore up state-owned banks. Britain, home to the EU's largest financial centre, are also fearful of a Franco-German attempt to undermine Europe's financial capital.