UPDATED: Rehn gets Economic & Monetary Affairs Commissioner post

Agriculture portfolio reportedly offered to Finland

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Reuters news agency reported on Thursday that Finland would be getting the portfolio of Commissioner for Economic and Monetary Affairs in the new European Commission. Finland’s candidate for the commission is Olli Rehn, the outgoing Commissioner for Enlargement.
      “We cannot confirm any portfolio speculation”, Rehn said to Helsingin Sanomat on Thursday evening.
     
If the speculation is borne out, Rehn would replace Spain’s Joaquin Almunia as the commissioner responsible for the EU’s monetary and economic policy. The commissioner’s task is to present European economic forecasts, and to attend ECOFIN meetings of EU ministers of finance.
      The Economic Commissioner’s portfolio is considered to be the most sought-after post in the EU right after that of EU Foreign Minister.
      Reuters based its information on diplomatic sources.
     
Finland had been offered the post of Agriculture Commissioner. Finnish Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Sirkka-Liisa Anttila (Centre) says that Germany’s Minister of Agriculture had called her and asked if Finland would be interested in the post.
      Anttila says that she discussed the matter with both Rehn and Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen (Centre), and that she felt that Finland’s focus is primarily to seek other posts, but that it would not rule out the Agriculture Commissioner portfolio either.
     
In the Finnish Parliament, Jari Leppä (Centre), the chairman of Parliament’s agriculture committee, feels that Finland should seek the post of Commissioner of Agriculture.
      He notes that while the task would be an exceptionally difficult one, it is nevertheless important for Finland.
      He points out that the cash flow between Finland and the EU is almost exclusively linked with agriculture. Leppä sees no great problems in the fact that the commissioner would specifically represent the views of the European Commission, and not those of Finland.
     
At the Central Union of Agricultural Producers and Forest Owners (MTK), executive director Antti Sahi says that getting the agricultural post for Finland was not “the first option” for MTK.
      Sahi says that MTK has taken the view that Finland would not be “a worse alternative”, considering which countries the portfolio has been offered to.
      MTK President Juha Marttila says that no strong candidates with expertise have come up among the candidates for the post, and that Rehn would be capable of handling the task.
      “The worst option would be for there to be a weak commissioner.”
     
Commission President José Manuel Barroso is scheduled to announce the distribution of commissioners’ portfolios in the course of this afternoon.
     
     
UPDATE, FRIDAY 15:00:
     
     
As predicted, Olli Rehn of Finland has been handed the heavyweight portfolio of Commissioner for Economic and Monetary Affairs in the second Barroso Commission.
      The new Commission's term of office is five years. Rehn's new job will probably start in February 2010 after hearings in the European Parliament.
      "I am grateful to José Manuel Barroso for the show of confidence", Rehn said on Friday afternoon. He believes the portfolio he has been given matches his aims.
      "The most important thing right now is to campaign on behalf of supporting the first shoots of economic growth that are coming through", commented Rehn.
     
Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen (Centre) did not disguise his considerable satisfaction at the outcome, and at Barroso's choice.
      Olli Rehn had initially been considered as a candidate for the job of High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, but when it became clear that the parties of the right and left in the European Parliament were going to share the major posts between them, leaving the Liberals (to which the Centre Party belong) without a seat at the top table, attention turned to securing the very best possible portfolio for Rehn.
      In fact, in the absence of any Centrist representatives in the top four EU positions of Commission President (Barroso), President of the Council (Herman Van Rompuy of Belgium), the High Representative (Baroness Catherine Ashton from the UK), and President of the European Parliament (Poland's Jerzy Buzek), Rehn's stock rose appreciably as the leading candidate from the ranks of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE).
      Vanhanen was the main negotiator on behalf of the ALDE grouping in the nomination discussions.
      Vanhanen was also at pains to point out that the real credit for the appointment lies with Rehn himself, with the expertise he has shown during his five years as Enlargement Commissioner.
     
The European Parliament still has to ratify the appointments of the commissioners-designate, and this is expected to take place towards the end of January.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Olli Rehn focuses on economic affairs in preparation for EU Commission portfolio shuffle (17.10.2009)
  Olli Rehn named as Finland´s EU Commissioner candidate (1.10.2009)

Links:
  Olli Rehn - Enlargement Commissioner, 2004-2009
  Olli Rehn (Wikipedia)
  European Union - Members of the Barroso Commission-Designate 2009-2014
  Complete Portfolio List (.pdf file)

Helsingin Sanomat