Brussels, 23/09/2014 (Agence Europe) - By playing its Elzbieta Bienkowska card, Poland has turned up trumps, allowing it to bag the post of Commissioner for the Single Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs in the future European Commission. A remodelled portfolio which is expected to be a heavyweight in Jean-Claude Juncker's team, but which is a perfect match for this self-styled technocrat: Bienkowska, 50, has been Donald Tusk's right hand in the Polish centre-right government.
Originally from Silesia, Bienkowska came to notice in her determination to make the best use of the structural funds available to her country, during her two terms as Development Minister (since 2007). Indeed, Poland is recognised as exemplary in its absorption of the structural funds; its infrastructure and competitiveness have also mushroomed as a result of her hard work. Following the appointment of the Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk to take over from Herman Van Rompuy as President of the European Council, Warsaw put forward his closest collaborator to Jean-Claude Juncker (and of the same political family), who was actively seeking women to make up his team. In return, Poland has been rewarded with a post which also serves its own interests, that of the single market, now extended to include industry, entrepreneurship and defence.
Merger of portfolios. Bienkowska will therefore be holding considerable powers, as two portfolios and two directorates general (DG MARKT and ENTR) have been merged for her. Juncker has tasked her with the delicate mission of “completing the single market”, by revising its operation on the ground, extending the principle of mutual recognition and getting rid of the remaining obstacles to the free movement of goods and services. Particular attention must be paid to professional mobility, working together with the Commissioner for Employment. Another sizeable challenge will be increasing from 16% to 20% the share of industry in the European economy by the end of her term in office (under the strategy EUROPE 2020). As Poland has managed to hang onto considerable industrial fabric, Juncker's choice appears to be a judicious one. Lastly, it is worth noting that the future President has asked the Polish candidate to create more synergy and cooperation in the Europeans' public defence procurement, in order to “avoid duplication of national programmes and match resources to our foreign policy ambitions”.
Hearing. The candidate's hearing before the MEPs of the parliamentary committees for the single market and for industry will take place on Thursday 2 October. It is highly likely that their questions will focus on the Single Market Act, the “services” directive, the market supervision package and product safety, as well as the links to be established between single market governance and the “European Semester” budgetary process. The MEPs are also expected to seek reassurance on the “smart regulation” issue, so that no legislative proposal made by the Commission carries too great an administrative burden. They are also expected to urge Bienkowska to keep them updated on negotiations for international trade agreements, particularly the one with the United States. (MD)