President-designate of the European Commission, Mr Jose Manuel Barroso has announced the policy portfolios allocated to his team of Commissioners.
Innovations
All Commissioners under one roof at the Berlaymont building
New post Vice-President for institutional relations and communication strategy - Mrs Margot Wallstrom
A Vice President for Competitiveness - Mr Gunter Verheugen
5 Vice-Presidents but all Commissioners equal in decision-making
More informal brainstorming sessions and improve cooperation between DGs and Cabinets
Thematic groups and task forces to anticipate policy
Separation of financial control from budgetary affairs and a Vice-President to oversee sound management - Siim Kallas
President Barroso to chair the group of Commissioners on external relations and on the Lisbon Strategy
Split of current portfolios: transport and energy, agriculture and fisheries, internal market and taxation.
The full allocation of portfolios
Vice-president, institutional relations, communications: Margot Wallstrom (Sweden)
Vice-president, enterprise and industry: Guenter Verheugen (Germany)
Vice-president, transport: Jacques Barrot (France)
Vice-president, administration, audit and anti-fraud: Siim Kallas (Estonia)
Vice-president, justice and home affairs: Rocco Buttiglione (Italy)
Other Commission members:
Information society and media: Viviane Reding (Luxembourg)
Environment: Stavros Dimas (Greece)
Economic and monetary affairs: Joaquin Almunia (Spain)
Regional policy: Danuta Huebner (Poland)
Fisheries, Maritime affairs: Joe Borg (Malta)
Budget: Dalia Grybauskaite (Lithuania)
Science and research: Janez Potocnik (Slovenia)
Education, culture: Jan Figel (Slovakia)
Health, consumer protection: Markos Kyprianou (Cyprus)
Enlargement: Olli Rehn (Finland)
Humanitarian aid: Louis Michel (Belgium)
Energy: Laszlo Kovacs (Hungary)
Competition: Neelie Kroes-Smit (Netherlands)
Agriculture: Mariann Fischer Boel (Denmark)
External Relations: Benita Ferrero-Waldner (Austria)
Internal Market: Charlie McCreevy (Ireland)
Employment, social policy: Vladimir Spidla (Czech)
Trade: Peter Mandelson (Britain)
Taxation and customs: Ingrida Udre (Latvia)
