NEW EU EXECUTIVE COMPLETE

The Netherlands, Latvia and Hungary have completed the line up for José Durão Barroso’s new look European Commission ahead of an EU policy portfolio carve-up over the next two weeks. As expected The Hague – according to press reports – has gone for former Dutch transport minister Neelie Kroes as next Netherlands commissioner. She will replace current internal market commissioner Frits Bolkestein in a new Brussels executive to be formed on November 1. The choice of Kroes means that Barroso will make good on his pledge to form an EU executive with at least eight women on board. Latvia and Hungary have dumped existing commissioners – in place for only a few months – to name new candidates for the EU executive. Riga’s Sandra Kalniete and Budapest’s Péter Balázs – on the job since May 1 - will not be coming back to Brussels when José Durão Barroso forms a new European Commission this November. Latvia's leader Indulis Emsis announced on Tuesday that a fellow Green and parliamentary speaker Ingrida Udre would replace the former foreign minister Kalniete. One of Latvia’s three-party ruling coalition – the People's Party – backed the diplomat, without party political affiliation, Kalniete. But Emsis took the decision to appoint a colleague after an unresolved fierce battle within his coalition. Balázs is to be replaced, as predicted, by Hungary’s current foreign minister Laszlo Kovacs. Latvia and Hungary join the Czech Republic to bring to three the number of new EU commissioners dumped after a brief Brussels tenure. The Czech Republic’s former prime minister Vladimir Spidla is taking Pavel Telicka’s place at the EU’s top table. Barroso is expected to divide up the commission’s policy portfolios over the coming weeks – with an announcement scheduled for the week starting August 23.

Barroso’s Brussels line-up

Policy portfolios in José Durão Barroso’s new European Commission will be chosen no later than August 27.

Germany, France and the UK are pressing hard for key economic portfolios - internal market, trade and competition.  Berlin is also eying a Brussels vice-presidency in a push to put the economy at the heart of the next commission. Spain's commissioner is likely to be replaced by Javier Solana when the Europe's foreign policy chief enters the EU executive as vice-president and European 'foreign minister' in 2006 or 2007. Out of the 25-strong team - one commissioner for each EU country - there are 11 new faces.

NEW President, Portugal - José Manuel Durão Barroso

NEW Austria - Benita Ferrero-Waldner

NEW Belgium – Louis Michel

Cyprus - Markos Kyprianou

NEW Czech Republic - Vladimir Spidla
 
NEW Denmark - Mariann Fischer Boel

Estonia - Siim Kallas

Finland - Olli Rehn

France - Jacques Barrot

Germany - Günther Verheugen

Greece - Stavros Dimas

NEW Hungary - László Kovács

NEW Ireland - Charlie McCreevy

NEW Italy - Rocco Buttiglione

NEW Latvia – Ingrida Udre

Lithuania - Dalia Grybauskaite

Luxembourg - Viviane Reding
 
Malta - Joe Borg

NEW Netherlands - Neelie Kroes

Poland - Danuta Hübner

Slovakia - Jan Figel
 
Slovenia - Janez Potocnik

Spain - Joaquin Almunia

Sweden - Margot Wallström

NEW UK - Peter Mandelson