Although president-elect Jean-Claude Juncker is still interviewing candidates for Commissioners, EurActiv has seen a draft organigram prepared by his services dated September 2, in which every single commissioner is assigned a portfolio. According to the document, Greece’s Dimitris Avramopoulos (EPP) gets Migration, Fundamental Rights and Home Affairs. This is rather surprising, since Greece is frequently criticized for the bad treatment of asylum seekers. The Internet and Culture portfolio will be given to Cyprus’ Christos Stylianides (EPP). According to EurActiv, the document is clearly not a final version and subject to change, but it is full of surprises: The Internal Market portfolio, currently held by Michel Barnier, has disappeared; the Digital Agenda portfolio, currently held by Neelie Kroes, has also vanished; and there is no commissioner for Enlargement. At the same time, a new post of Vice President for Better Regulation has appeared; a new post for Vice President for Energy Union has also made its appearance (in addition to the Commissioner for energy/climate); a Vice President for Growth, Economic and Monetary Union, European Semester & Social dialogue is also a new addition. There are six Vice Presidents in the proposed Commission: Poland’s Elżbieta Bieńkowska (EPP), assigned with Budget and Financial Control; Estonia’s Andrus Ansip (ALDE) for Growth, EMU, European Semester and Social Dialogue; Latvia’s Valdis Dombrovkis (EPP) for Energy Union; Slovenia’s Alenka Bratusek for Digital and Innovation; the Netherlands’ Frans Timmermans for Better Regulation and as already decided by EU leaders, Italy’s Federica Mogherini (S&D) as High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. In terms of political balance, the liberal ALDE group is not underrepresented as initially thought. To the contrary, it has five portfolios, including two Vice Presidents. Overall, the Commission is quite balanced. The center-right EPP group has twelve portfolios, including two Vice Presidents. The Socialists and Democrats (S&D) have eight portfolios, including two Vice Presidents. The new post of Vice President for Better Regulation, assigned to the Netherlands, should please British Prime Minister David Cameron, who has led a campaign for less red tape and regulation in EU policy-making. It is less likely however that the British Premier will like the portfolio assigned to the UK Commissioner Jonathan Hill (ECR), on Energy and Climate Change. Cameron had asked for a Super-Commissioner, but in fact Hill is likely to be under the umbrella of Valdis Dombrovskis, Vice President for Energy Union. The same could be said regarding France’s Pierre Moscovici, who gets the portfolio of Competition. Paris has sought the Economic Affairs portfolio, which actually goes to Finland’s Jyrki Katainen, who already holds this portfolio he inherited from Olli Rehn.
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