Brussels, 31/07/2014 (Agence Europe) - To resolve the problem of the lack of women in the next Commission and be able to find a solution with the member states, Jean-Claude Juncker may delay the formation of his team, which he had initially been planning to present to EU heads of state and/or government at a meeting on 30 August at which the next EU high representative was to be designated.
A spokeswoman for Juncker, Natasha Bertaud, explained this on Thursday 31 July because only two governments officially nominated appointment a woman to be their commissioner shortly before the 31 July deadline. Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt said on Thursday that Cecilia Malmström, who is currently EU Internal Affairs and Immigration Commissioner, will remain Sweden's commissioner. She is said to be delighted. The Czech Republic announced earlier in the week that it nominates Vera Jourova as its commissioner, taking the number of women to two. Both women are from the ALDE. Bulgaria is expected to nominate current EU Humanitarian Aid Commissioner Kristalina Georgieva, but this has not yet been officialised. Portuguese media suggest that Portugal may put forward Maria Luis Albuquerque, the current secretary of state for finance. Juncker and Pedro Passos Coehlo, the Portuguese prime minister, are reported to be negotiating an economic job for Albuquerque.
Denmark and Slovenia may also propose a woman, but had not made any indications on Thursday as we were going to press. The name of Christine Antorini (currently Danish education minister) was being suggested to replace Connie Hedegaard.
Various men are being suggested for Belgium and Italy, along with two women, Marianne Thyssen for Belgium and Federica Mogherini for Italy. The caretaker Belgian government says it will not decide between Marianne Thyssen, Didier Reynders (Belgium's foreign affairs minister, a Liberal) and Karel De Gucht (a Flemish Liberal who is currently EU Trade Commissioner) for two or three weeks yet because a new coalition government needs to be set up in Belgium first. Belgian media say that, if the coalition remains dominated by Flanders, then this could mean Reynders gets a job in the Juncker team. The fate of Mogherini was still up in the air on Thursday 31 July. Italy was unsuccessful in having Mogherini accepted by the European Summit on 16 July as the replacement for Catherine Ashton. In the past few days, Italian media have been saying that Matteo Renzi may decide to appoint instead former Italian foreign minister Massimo d'Alema.
At present, Juncker can expect no more than 7 or 8 women, fewer than the 9 women in the second Barroso Commission. Juncker says he wants at least 9 women in his team. The president of the European Parliament, Martin Schulz, made it clear in Strasbourg on 15 July that it will not endorse a team with fewer women than in the current Commission.
So far, 17 countries have officially named their candidates: Jyrki Katainen for Finland (EPP), Günther Oettinger for Germany (EPP), Johannes Hahn for Austria (EPP), Valdis Dombrovskis for Latvia (EPP), Phil Hogan for Ireland (EPP), Maros Sefcovic for Slovakia (PES), Neven Mimica for Croatia (PES), Vytenis Andriukaitis for Lithuania (PES), Karmenu Vella for Malta (PES), Andrus Ansip for Estonia (ALDE), Vera Jourova for the Czech Republic (ALDE), Jonathan Hill for the United Kingdom (ECR), Dimitris Avramopoulos for Greece (EPP), Cecilia Malmström for Sweden (ALDE), Pierre Moscovici for France (PES), Miguel Arias Canete for Spain (EPP) and Tibor Navracsics for Hungary (EPP).
Horse-trading over jobs. The negotiations over the candidates are accompanied by talks over the jobs at the European Commission. The president-designate of the Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, is currently reshuffling the Commission jobs and dividing up the economic and monetary affairs post and internal affairs job that a number of countries have their eyes on. The Financial Times says the internal market commissioner job currently held by Michel Barnier of France (in the second Barroso Commission) may be shorn of its financial services side, which would have a commissioner of its own. The FT says Finland, the Netherlands and Latvia are all after the financial services job. (SP)