 |
The European Parliament has voted overwhelmingly in favour of the new 27-strong team of European Commissioners. Each Commissioner had previously faced a hearing in the European Parliament.
The Commission is the executive arm, responsible for drafting EU laws and ensuring that the 27 member states comply with the EU treaties. Bulgaria's first nominee, Rumiana Jeleva, failed to convince MEPs about her suitability for the job, so she was replaced by Kristalina Georgieva.
MEPs cast 488 votes in favour of the Commission, 137 against and there were 72 abstentions. The largest two groups, the EPP and the S&D, both voted in favour.
The parliament's vote on the whole Commission was delayed by three months because ratification of the Lisbon Treaty was not completed until November 2009.
Under the treaty, the number of Commissioners will be reduced by a third by 2014. So this will be the last time MEPs vote for a Commission with candidates drawn from every member state.
The president of the Commission, Portuguese conservative José Manuel Barroso, has already been approved for a second term by the EU government leaders.
The new line-up includes the UK's Catherine Ashton, the EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs. The new post, created by the Lisbon Treaty, also makes her a Commission vice-president.
MEPs cannot vote on individual commissioners – only on the whole Commission team. But they can force changes in its composition by rejecting the whole team. That happened in 2004, when Italy withdrew its commissioner-designate for justice, Rocco Buttiglione. MEPs disliked his opposition to gay rights and conservative attitude towards women.
The new Commission is due to be sworn in on 10 February.
9 February 2010
|
|
