Barroso rules out playing musical chairs with EU nominees

Jan 20, 2010, 13:40 GMT

Strasbourg - There will be no change of portfolios amongst nominees for the European Commission even after the replacement of the Bulgarian candidate, Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso said Wednesday.

'I do not foresee any change of portfolios,' Barroso told journalists in Brussels, ruling out a game of musical chairs that could further delay the appointment process of the EU executive.

The Commission was meant to receive a vote of confidence by the European Parliament on January 26, after a round of confirmation hearings on all 26 designated members. It would have then taken office on February 1.

But a row over the would-be commissioner for humanitarian aid, Rumiana Jeleva, accused of incompetence by socialist and liberal members of parliament (MEPs), has made it impossible to respect the schedule.

Technically MEPs do not have the right to veto individual nominees, but they can block the appointment of the entire commission if they deem one or more of its prospective members to be inadequate.

Jeleva, who was cleared of financial impropriety accusations, resigned under the pressure, and also stepped down from her post as Bulgarian foreign minister. She was replaced on Tuesday by World Bank vice president Kristalina Georgieva.

Barroso told the press he would meet Georgieva on Friday, while parliament's president Jerzy Buzek confirmed she would be quizzed by MEPs on February 3, with the confidence vote on the whole commission now set for February 9.

In the past week MEPs expressed doubts over other candidates, fuelling speculation that a reshuffle of portfolios could be possible.

Rumours centred on would-be economy commissioner, Olli Rehn of Finland, and Neelie Kroes of the Netherlands, who is due for the Telecoms portfolio. Despite the experience gained from being members of the outgoing commission, both disappointed in their confirmation hearings.

But Rehn and Kroes won over their critics in subsequent contacts with MEPs, parliamentary sources indicated on Tuesday. Meanwhile, the conservative EPP group, to which Jeleva belongs to, said it would not target other prospective commissioners to avenge her withdrawal.