European Commissioner
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A European commissioner is a member of the 27-member European Commission. Each member within the Commission holds a specific portfolio. The commission is led by the president of the European Commission. In simple terms they are the equivalent of government ministers.
Appointment
Commissioners are nominated by member states in consultation with the commission president, who then selects a team of commissioners. This team of nominees are then subject to hearings at the European Parliament, which questions them and then votes on their suitability as a whole. If members of the team are found to be inappropriate, the president must then reshuffle the team or request a new candidate from the member state or risk the whole commission being voted down.[citation needed] As parliament cannot vote against individual commissioners there is usually a compromise whereby the worst candidates are removed but minor objections are put aside, or dealt with by adjusting portfolios, so the commission can take office. Once the team is approved by the parliament, it is formally put into office by the European Council (TEU Article 17:7).[citation needed]
Although members of the commission are allocated between member states, they do not represent their states. Instead, they are supposed to act in European interests. Normally, a member state will nominate someone of the same political party as that which forms the current government. There are exceptions, such as Member of the Commission Richard Burke (of Fine Gael), who was nominated by Taoiseach Charles Haughey (of Fianna Fáil). In the past, when the larger states had two seats, they often went to the two major parties, such as in the United Kingdom.
Twelve of the current 27 members are women. Peter Mandelson (2004 to October 2008)[1] was the first openly gay commissioner. The first female commissioners were Christiane Scrivener and Vasso Papandreou in the 1989 Delors Commission.
European Parliament President
Oath
Each member is required to take an oath before the
Having been appointed as a Member of the European Commission by the European Council, following the vote of consent by the European Parliament I solemnly undertake: to respect the Treaties and the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union in the fulfilment of all my duties; to be completely independent in carrying out my responsibilities, in the general interest of the Union; in the performance of my tasks, neither to seek nor to take instructions from any Government or from any other institution, body, office or entity; to refrain from any action incompatible with my duties or the performance of my tasks. I formally note the undertaking of each Member State to respect this principle and not to seek to influence Members of the Commission in the performance of their tasks. I further undertake to respect, both during and after my term of office, the obligation arising therefrom, and in particular the duty to behave with integrity and discretion as regards the acceptance, after I have ceased to hold office, of certain appointments or benefits.
History
Until 2004, the larger member states (Spain upwards) received two commissioners and the smaller states received one. As the size of the body was increasing with enlargement, the larger states lost their second commissioner after the 2004 enlargement with the new Barroso Commission being appointed under the Treaty of Nice.
Nice also specified that once the number of members reached 27 then the number of commissioners should be reduced to "less than the number of Member States". The exact number of commissioners would have to be decided by a unanimous vote of the European Council and membership will rotate equally between member states. Following the accession of Romania and Bulgaria in January 2007, this clause took effect for the following commission (appointed after the 2009 European elections).[5]
The failed
In 2009, in what was known as the 26+1 formula, it was proposed that (in order to comply with the Nice Treaty provision that there should be fewer commissioners than members) instead of a commissioner one member state should fill the post of high representative.[6] An idea floated in 2007 was the creation of junior members for smaller states.[7] In 2004, there was a proposal to create a "super-commissioner" who would be vice president of the Commission and would "be able to intervene in all decisions concerning EU projects that have an impact" on the economic performance of the EU.[8]
Another change Lisbon brought, as hinted above, was the creation of the role of
Accountability
In addition to its role in approving a new Commission, the European Parliament has the power at any time to force the entire Commission to resign through a
Salaries
A commissioner's basic monthly salary is fixed at 112.5% of the top civil service grade.[11] As of June 2023, this works out to be €25,910.19 per month.[12] The president is paid at 138% (€27,436.90 per month), vice-presidents at 125% (€24,852.26 per month)[11] and the High Representative at 130% (€25,846.35 per month).[11] There are further allowances on top of these figures, including household allowance, child allowance, and a substantial expatriation allowance (where applicable).[11]
Portfolios
The make up and distribution of portfolios are determined by the Commission president and do not always correspond with the commission's departments (directorates-general). While some have been fairly consistent in make up between each Commission, some have only just been created or are paired with others. With a record number of members in 2007, the portfolios have become very thin even though the responsibilities of the commission have increased.[13]
Civil service
A commissioner can come under a great deal of influence from the staff under their control. The European Civil Service is permanent whereas a commissioner is in office usually for just five years. Hence it is the service which know the workings of the commission and have longer term interests. Strong leadership from a commissioner, who knows the workings of their portfolio, can overcome the power of the service. An example would be Pascal Lamy; however, the best people are usually kept by their national governments, leading to less solid candidates getting the job.[14]
Politicisation
Commissioners are required to remain above national politics while exercising their duties in the Commission, but are normally involved in their European-level political party. However the requirement to keep out of national politics has slowly been eroded.[
This does throw their independence in doubt, where a politician leaves their national scene for one or two terms and returns to it for a new job.[18] Most in essence owe their positions to nomination and support from national party leaders and parties they have been aligned to; usually seeking to return to the party-political fray.[19]
Politicisation has even gone so far as commissioners backing national candidates, with
However their political nature can also cause problems in their habit of leaving the job early in the final years of the commission to take up new national posts. In seeking to secure their post-Commission job, they can undermine the work of the commission.[21] Following elections in Cyprus, Commissioner Kyprianou left to become Cypriot Foreign Minister.[22] Likewise, Commissioner Frattini left to do the same following elections in Italy.[23] During the previous Prodi Commission, Pedro Solbes left to become the Spanish finance minister, Michel Barnier left to become French foreign minister, Erkki Liikanen left to become head of Bank of Finland and Anna Diamantopoulou also resigned early. Even President Prodi started campaigning in the Italian elections before his term as head of the commission was over.[21]
Appointment to the commission has the effect of removing a political figure from a country for a period of years, and this has been compared to the ancient Athenian practice of ostracism.[24]
See also
References
- ^ [1] Archived 31 July 2017 at the Wayback Machine BBC: 'Proud' Mandelson back in [UK] cabinet
- EU Observer
- ^ Reding says member states 'must show' they're applying EU charter Archived 20 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ [2] Archived 18 June 2012 at the Wayback Machine EU commission: Wording of the oath.
- ^ See the attached Protocol, Article 4
- ^ Smyth, Jamie (5 September 2009). "Rejection may undermine EU's effectiveness, warns Swedish premier". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 3 January 2013. Retrieved 15 September 2009.
- ^ EU divided by plan for 'second-class' commissioners Archived 1 May 2007 at the Wayback Machine ft.com 7 January 2007
- ^ "'Big three' strike deal on super commissioner, French VAT cuts, 1% ceiling". 19 February 2005. Archived from the original on 21 September 2017. Retrieved 20 September 2017.
- ^ "The Union's institutions: Commission". Europa (web portal). Archived from the original on 19 August 2007. Retrieved 6 July 2007.
- ^ Council of the European Union (20 June 2007). "Brussels European Council 21/22 June 2007: Presidency Conclusions" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 27 June 2007. Retrieved 22 June 2007.
- ^ a b c d "Council Regulation (EU) 2016/300 of 29 February 2016 determining the emoluments of EU high-level public office holders". Archived from the original on 15 November 2018. Retrieved 19 March 2018.
- ^ Base salary of grade 16, third step is €23,031.28: "2023 intermediate update of the remuneration and pensions of the officials and other servants of the European Union and the correction coefficients applied thereto". Archived from the original on 26 November 2023. Retrieved 26 November 2023.
- ^ Prodi to Have Wide, New Powers as Head of the European Commission Archived 27 January 2008 at the Wayback Machine iht.com 16 April 1999
- ^ Former EU Mandarin Spills the Beans on Commission Intrigue Archived 23 December 2007 at the Wayback Machine Deutsche Welle
- ^ a b EU commissioner backs Royal in French election Archived 10 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine euobserver.com
- ^ Commissioner Louis Michel to stand in the Belgian parliamentary elections Archived 29 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine europa.eu
- ^ "POLITICO – European Politics, Policy, Government News". Archived from the original on 23 September 2021. Retrieved 25 May 2007.
- ^ Hix, Simon (1999) "The political system of the European Union" MacMillan, Basingstoke, p5
- ^ Hix Simon (1999) "The political system of the European Union". p5
- ^ Brussels struggles with communication policy Archived 23 October 2007 at the Wayback Machine euobserver.com 9 May 2007
- ^ a b Mahony, Honor (4 March 2008). "EU commission musical chairs begins in Brussels". EU Observer. Archived from the original on 10 March 2008. Retrieved 5 March 2008.
- ^ Latham, Mark (10 April 2008). "Parliament backs Vassiliou as health commissioner". European Voice. Archived from the original on 11 May 2013. Retrieved 15 April 2008.
- ^ Igra, Daniel (15 April 2008). "Berlusconi victory confirms Frattini's departure". European Voice. Archived from the original on 16 January 2009. Retrieved 15 April 2008.
- ^ Cartledge, Paul (July 2006). "Ostracism: selection and de-selection in ancient Greece". History & Policy. United Kingdom: History & Policy. Archived from the original on 16 April 2010. Retrieved 9 December 2010.
External links
- Commission's website ec.europa.eu
- Commissioners code of conduct ec.europa.eu