http://www.kosmopolito.org/who-will-be-the-next-romanian-commissioner/ Who will be the next Romanian Commissioner? Jun 18th, 2009 by <http://admin/> Anda
As the (rather temporary) buzz around the EP elections started to diminish, the next big question is popping up in various circles, from political parties headquarters to newspapers and blogs (see the concerted blog action <http://www.jonworth.eu/thnk-european-commission/> here, <http://www.kosmopolito.org/thinking-about-the-next-european-commission/> here and <http://julienfrisch.blogspot.com/2009/06/next-european-commission-thnk09.ht ml> here): who will be each country's nominee for the Commissioner position? With the institutional framework governing the next Commission not clearly defined and dependent on rather uncontrollable factors (i.e. the second Irish referendum scheduled for the autumn), the various names and portofolios are rather speculations. However, they tend to indicate the "mood" in different countries and offer a preview of the negotiation process that will start after the Commisssion President will <http://www.europeanvoice.com/article/2009/06/european-council-running-order /65246.aspx> probably be nominated later today at the European Council. The debate regarding the next Romanian Commissioners, though not yet very visible in the media, has been taken up by the researchers at the <http://www.crpe.ro/pagini/index.php> Romanian Centre for European Policies (CRPE), who issued a report entitled: <http://www.crpe.ro/library/CRPE%20-%20Policy%20Paper%20no.%202%20-%20Romnia %20la%20Consiliul%20European%20din%2018-19%20iunie.pdf> "Romania at the European Council on 18-19 June. Grades for the Romanian "Commissioners" " The first part of the document is a very good overview of the most important institutional aspects linked to the the new Commission (including the current debates on how many Commissioners there will be and how is the Commission President elected). I find it a very commendable effort to explain all these rather complex issues to the greater public, an initiative that should perhaps be replicated in the media and by other actors. The second part of the report makes some recommendations as to what position Romania should adopt at the European Council on 18-19 June and, more important, evaluates some of the possible candidates for the Romanian Commissioner position and the likeliness to get some portofolios of interest. The nine possible candidates (including names such as Monica Macovei, former Justice Minister and newly elected MEP, MEPs such as Adrian Severin and Theodor Stolojan, former Romanian Permanent Representative to the EU Lazar Comanescu and current commissioner Leonard Orban) are assessed according to five criteria: experience with EU affairs, CV (competence), political support, integrity and professional authority. The portofolios that Romania might be aiming at are agriculture, energy, transport, regional policy and enlargement, each assessed with medium or small chances of success. Makes me wonder what portofolio does Romania have real chances of getting, as all the ones mentioned above seems to come straight from a wish-list. While offering a very straight-forward and well-argumented overview of all possibilities, the report fails to come up with a final conclusion and an over-all assessment, linking the possible candidates with likely (matching) portofolios. The task would, indeed, be rather speculative, since there is still a heated debate inside the governing coallition (PDL-PSD) as to which party should nominate the future Commissioner. lazarcomanescu <http://www.kosmopolito.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/lazarcomane scu.jpg> Nevertheless, if Romania (still) wants to have a chance in getting a decent portofolio (as oposed to an invented one, like it is currently the case), it should come up as soon as possible with a credible personality with strong expertise in a specific policy field. This will be hard, since political support is, clearly, the vital criterion among the five mentioen above. The more likeley outcome is (like in many other cases, isn't it?) a compromise candidate, and my guess is that Lazar Comanescu, former Permanent Representative of Romania to the EU might just pass that test. It will be interesting to watch the power play in the run-up to the nomination. C 2009 Kosmopolito - The Blog with the European perspective Powered by <http://wordpress.org/> WordPress ---------------------------- Vali "Noble blood is an accident of fortune; noble actions are the chief mark of greatness." "When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace." Aboneaza-te la <mailto:ngo_list-subscr...@yahoogroups.com> ngo_list: o alternativa moderata (un pic) la [ngolist] Please consider the environment - do you really need to print this email?
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