EUROPEAN COMMISSION REAPPOINTMENT REMAINS UNCLEAR WITH LISBON TREATY RATIFICATION ON HOLD
September 1st, 2009
BY KEITH NUTHALL
IT is a little like the election of a Pope. The five-yearly reappointment of the European Commission - now underway - is shrouded in complex procedure and murky backroom deals. Closed discussions between Europe's power-brokers in Brussels offices, embassies and national capitals divide up the available positions - currently there are 27: one per member state.
So far, only one position is taken, that of the president, José Manuel Barroso, whose reappointment has been approved by member states and the European Parliament. That Barroso, a ...
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