Liberation newspaper: Dacian Ciolos to get Agriculture

Romanian politician Dacian Ciolos will receive the Agriculture portfolio, according to a Barroso II project for portfolio repartition, quoted by ablog affiliated to French newspaper Liberation. France backed Romania into getting Agriculture. But last month, Paris seemed to have changed their mind to supporting Ireland for the same portfolio. The Barroso II commission list of members is due to be announced next week.

According to the quoted project, Financial Services will not be managed by a French commissioner, namely Michel Barnier, but by a Hungarian candidate – Laszlo Andor, while the French fill get the portfolio for Inner Market and Fiscal Affairs.

The commissioners to get a second mandate are Dutch Neelie Kroes – the Commerce portfolio, Spanish Joaquin Almunia – for Competition, the portfolio for Economic and Financial Affairs goes to Ollie Rehn, Social Affairs will be headed by Latvian Andris Piebalgs, Viviane Reding from Luxemburg will be holding the Digital Economy (which includes Culture), Italian Antonio Tajani was assigned the portfolio for Transports, the Administration goes to Estonian Siim Kallas and Belgian Karel De Gucht gets the portfolio for Development.

The new portfolio for Climate and Environment goes to Danish Connie Hedegaard, while Human Rights portfolio was attributed to Swedish Cécilia Malmström. Justice and Inner Affairs might go to Bulgarian Rumiana Jeleva or Slovakian Maros Sefcovic. One of the two will have to be content with the portfolio for Expansion.

Irish Maire Geoghegan Quinn might be assigned the Budget portfolio, Austrian Johannes Hahn – Research, Maria Damanaki from Bulgaria or Androulla Vassiliou from Cypres – Education or Naval Affairs, Lithuanian Algirdas Semeta – Structural Funds, and Czech Stefan Fule and Slovenian Janez Potocnik – Research or Health.

According to the French blog, the Brits are the big winners of this architecture if it is going to be confirmed: London will cheer the fact that France did not get the Financial Services. In return, Brit Baroness Catherine Ashton is due to become the European Foreign Minister, which will confer her double quality: she is also the vice-president of the Commission and will administrate the community executive’s foreign activities.