Brussels, 01/07/2014 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday 1 July, the College of the European Commission was reorganised in order to replace the four commissioners that have left to take up seats in the European Parliament.
European Commission President José Manuel Barroso confirmed the replacement of Olli Rehn (economic and monetary affairs), Viviane Reding (justice, fundamental rights and citizenship), Antonio Tajani (industry and entrepreneurship) and Janusz Lewandowski (financial programming and budget) by the commissioners who had already covered for them temporarily during the Parliament election campaign - Siim Kallas, Johannes Hahn, Michel Barnier and Andris Piebalgs respectively.
Kallas, Hahn, Barnier and Piebalgs will guarantee the follow-up of their former colleagues' portfolios for a fortnight as the member states from which the four former commissioners come have appointed temporary commissioners until the end of the current Commission's mandate. The four new arrivals will have to be heard by the European Parliament from 14 July and their appointments will be put to the vote on 17 July.
Jyri Katainen, the former prime minister of Finland, will replace his compatriot Olli Rehn at economic and monetary affairs. Katainen's continuation in this post after November is causing dome unrest - with Italy considering it impossible that a commissioner of the same nationality keep the same portfolio (see EUROPE 11111).
After three mandates in the Commission, Reding will be replaced by her Socialist compatriot Martine Reicherts, who is likely to take on the same portfolio.
Italy has chosen Nelli Feroci to succeed Tajani temporarily. Feroci was the Italian representative to the EU from 2008 until June 2013 (see EUROPE 10870).
For Poland, the current deputy minister of finance, Jacek Dominik, will replace Lewandowski. After October, Poland's minister for foreign affairs, Radek Sikorski, will still reportedly be the candidate.
Apart from Katainen's position, Barroso is still due to confirm the portfolio of the other three commissioners. Michel Barnier from France (internal market) and Günter Oettinger from Germany (energy) - who is well-set to remain a commissioner - have been promoted to vice-presidents.
As for the rest, Austria said on Tuesday that Hahn - who is currently regional policy commissioner - would be a commissioner in the Juncker Commission, and possibly with the same portfolio.
Among the commissioners likely to stay are Maros Sefcovic from Slovakia (inter-institutional relations and administration) and Neven Mimica from Croatia (consumer policy). Little is known about the future of Cecilia Malmström from Sweden, the commissioner for home affairs, while Swedish minister Carl Bildt is spoken of as a successor to Catherine Ashton in foreign affairs. Malmström's entourage recalls that she was appointed in 2009 by Fredrik Reinfeldt's government, from the EPP. (SP)