Finland’s Olli Rehn gets Enlargement portfolio in European Commission
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Olli Rehn, who was named Finland’s designated member on the European Commission, has been given the post of Commissioner of European Enlargement.
José Manuel Durão Barroso, the upcoming President of the Commission, announced the distribution of Commissioners’ portfolios on Thursday. The new European Commission takes office in November.
During the five-year term of the new Commission, Rehn will deal with the EU membership processes of Bulgaria, Romania, Turkey, and the countries of the former Yugoslavia.
Rehn currently holds of the post of Commissioner for Enterprise and Information Society, which he took over from Erkki Liikanen, who became the new took on the post of Governor of the Bank of Finland earlier this year.
Olli Rehn says that he is pleased with his new portfolio, even though Finland was hoping for a post dealing with economic issues.
The Enlargement Commissioner’s job is nevertheless considered to be visible, coveted, and challenging. However, it is not seen to be as important as it was before May this year, when the EU got ten new member states.
"This is also a recognition of Finnish EU policy. The way to membership negotiations of Romania, Bulgaria, and Turkey was opened during the Finnish EU Presidency in Helsinki in 1999", said Rehn on Thursday.
Olli Rehn has some experience in his new field. He was a member of the EU’s enlargement working group in 2003, and became acquainted with the countries in question in the early 1990s as head of the Finnish delegation to the Council of Europe.
Helsingin Sanomat
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| 13.8.2004 - TODAY |
 Finland’s Olli Rehn gets Enlargement portfolio in European Commission |
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