European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso seems to have done a reasonable job in naming his second Commission, a task which requires a delicate balancing act.
When assigning portfolios the Commission President has to ensure that both large and small member states are given a decent representation within the EU executive, that no one political grouping gets all the top posts and that the portfolios are spread intelligently between experienced commissioners and new appointees as well as on a regional basis.
Of the 27 commissioners, 14 were in the outgoing Commission, including Luxembourg's Viviane Reding, who was nominated by her government for a third term. Barroso, who said the new Commission was a "perfect blend of experience and new thinking", also created three new portfolios: Climate Action; Home Affairs; and Justice, Fundamental Rights and Citizenship.
France is probably the biggest winner as a result of Barroso's choice of portfolios as former Agriculture and Foreign Minister Michel Barnier was appointed Internal Market Commissioner with responsibility also for financial services, which certainly raised some eyebrows in London (and in Malta). A member of President Nicolas Sarkozy's centre-right UMP party, Barnier had already served as Regional Affairs Commissioner between 1999 and 2004.
Sarkozy had lobbied hard for Barnier to be given this post, and there are some fears in the UK that the new Internal Market Commissioner will propose legislation that could damage London's financial services sector. However, this may not be the case. First of all a Briton has been appointed to head Barnier's department and, secondly, all proposed legislation has to be approved by the Commission, which then needs to be given the go-ahead by the Council of Ministers and the European Parliament.
Furthermore, one theory is that Sarkozy wanted this portfolio to make the French less hostile to globalisation - one of the reasons why French voters rejected the EU constitutional treaty in 2005 was to protest against the single market.
There are four other big winners in this new European Commission. The first is Joaquin Almunia, a Spanish Socialist who replaces Neelie Kroes as Competition Commissioner after serving as Economic and Monetary Affairs Commissioner. Almunia's new portfolio is one of the most sought after as it wields powers over anti-trust and cartel matters.
Finland's Oli Rehn, in charge of enlargement in the outgoing Commission, has been given a huge promotion in his appointment as Economic and Monetary Affairs Commissioner. A centrist politician, Rehn is credited with keeping EU enlargement on track in spite of a national mood in EU capitals against further expansion of the bloc. He comes from a member state which is keen on fiscal conservatism, yet in view of the financial crisis, he will not have an easy task in convincing certain countries to rein in national spending.
Belgium's Karel De Gucht, also gets a better portfolio, from Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid to Trade Commissioner, one of the most important jobs in the Commission. A Flemish liberal, De Gucht will lead negotiations with India, Canada and other Asian countries on free trade agreements. He will also lead the EU in the Doha round of World Trade Organisation talks aimed at reaching a new global trade pact.
Barroso's decision to create a climate portfolio shows he is taking this matter seriously and is a step in the right direction. The appointment of Denmark's Connie Hedegaard as Climate Action Commissioner is good news for this Nordic country.
Hedegaard, a conservative politician, considered an expert in climate change, is currently the Danish Minister for the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen (which opens tomorrow). Her main role as Commissioner will be to spearhead negotiations between the EU and its international partners over global warming.
Other reasonably high-level appointments include Romania's Dacian Ciolos as Agriculture Commissioner, Poland's Janusz Lewandowski as Budget Commissioner, Austria's Johannes Hahn as Regional Policy Commissioner, Luxembourg's Viviane Reding as Justice Commissioner, Slovenia's Janez Potocnik as Environment Commissioner and Sweden's Cecilia Malmstroem as Home Affairs Commissioner.
John Dalli was appointed Health and Consumer Policy Commissioner, quite a decent portfolio for a small member state, but the post is not as important as the fisheries portfolio held by Malta's outgoing Commissioner Joe Borg.
Many observers were surprised by the appointment of Germany's Gunter Oettinger as Energy Commissioner. While energy is definitely an important portfolio one would have expected a large country such as Germany to be given a major economic post. However, it is widely believed that a German will be appointed to head the European Central Bank when the post becomes vacant in 2011.
Surprisingly, Kroes, who won praise for her defence of the single market, has been moved aside (or demoted) as Digital Agenda Commissioner, where she will be in charge of telecommunications.
The Dutch government recognised Kroes' record by re-appointing her to the Commission, even though her VVD liberal party is no longer part of the governing coalition in The Hague.