With the Dutch appointment of 3 August, all EU governments have already proposed their commissioners-to-be for the next five years. The full list of the nominees is attached below.
Most of the future commissioners are high-ranking politicians including three former prime ministers, three finance ministers and four ministers of foreign affairs. The new Commission will also contain a record number of females. Eight out of 25 nominees are women, accounting for one third of Mr Barosso’s team.
The Czech Republic is going to replace its current commissioner Pavel Telicka, who has shadowed commissioner Byrne on the Health and Consumer Protection portfolio, with an outgoing prime minister Vladimir Spidla. Commissioner Byrne himself will be replaced as an Irish commissioner by finance minister Charlie McCreevy.
According to the Treaty, it is up to the Commission president to assign the commissioners designates to specific policy areas. José Manuel Durão Barroso is expected to formally announce the composition of his team and the division of portfolios in the last week of August.
At the beginning of October the commissioners designates will face public hearings before the European Parliament committees in their prospective policy areas. Afterwards, the Parliament’s plenary will vote on the approval of the Commission as a whole, by a majority of votes cast. The new Commission will take office on 1st November 2004.
