List of European Commission portfolios
The first Commissioner to take the post was Connie Hedegaard who headed the Directorate-General for Climate Action.
The Competition Commissioner is one of the most powerful positions in the commission and is notable in affecting global companies.
2004–2010 Commissioner, Viviane Reding, found a relatively popular policy in seeking to lower roaming charges of mobile phones when travelling within the EU, stating: "For years, mobile roaming charges have remained unjustifiably high.
[10] The Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth is responsible for policies in education and training, youth, sport, civil society, culture, translation, interpretation and relations with the Office for Official Publications of the European Communities.
The Bologna process aims to create a European Higher Education Area where academic qualifications can be recognised across Europe.
The previous portfolio to the current was Culture, merged with Audiovisual policy and EP relations.
The Commissioner holds responsibility for the European Union's energy policy as well as nuclear issues (Euratom).
[13] In April 2007 five southern European countries signed a deal to build an oil pipeline from the Black Sea to Italy which will help diversify energy sources.
In particular the Santer Commission post for relations with central and eastern Europe as those countries began applying to join.
When that portfolio was absorbed by the High Representative in 2009, Neighbourhood Policy was transferred to Trade and then to Enlargement in 2010 under the Second Barroso Commission.
Other policies include; the Natura 2000 a widespread and successful network of nature conservation sites, the Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals (REACH) directive requiring safety testing on widely used chemicals and the Water Framework Directive ensuring water quality reaches higher standards.
Previously simply for the budget, the position expanded under the Prodi Commission to include financial programming.
There would also be an increase in the administrative budget, aid to Kosovo and Palestinian institutions and funds towards the Galileo project.
The Commissioner for Home Affairs was created in 2010 by dividing the previous Justice, Freedom and Security portfolio into a security orientated post (DG HOME) and a post centred on justice, on individual and fundamental rights (DG JUST).
At the start of the first Barroso Commission, Germany, backed by Britain and France suggested an economic "super-commissioner"[9] to fight for competitiveness.
Although rejected, this idea though has been taken on by Verheugen, as the Enterprise and Industry portfolio was enlarged and was made a Vice President.
However, with the numerous economic portfolios, there is a degree of overlap which has been a matter of concern for him along with the purported difficulty of firing director-generals.
However, there was a great deal of concern about its effect on social standards and welfare, triggering competition between various parts of Europe.
MEPs eventually reached a compromise on the text and the Parliament adopted it on 12 December 2006; 2 years after Bolkestein left office, under the Barroso Commission.
The Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response was created under the second Barroso Commission in 2010 .
The Union has 66,000 km of coastline[15] and the largest Exclusive Economic Zone in the world, covering 25 million km2.
[17] The document addresses a number of issues such as sustainable development, protection of the environment, skills and employment, technology and resources, coastal safety and tourism, financial support and heritage.
Concluding WTO talks after the collapse of the Doha Development Round has been a contentious point, with the EU not willing to cut agricultural subsidies without similar action by the United States.
The Justice, Freedom and Security portfolio was roughly on the former third pillar: Police and Judicial Co-operation in Criminal Matters.
The post was created on 1 January 2007, in the enlarged Barroso Commission after the accession of Bulgaria and Romania to the EU.
Under the second Barroso Commission, the post was re-merged into the education and culture portfolio (held by Androulla Vassiliou).
European Parliament Socialist Group (PES) leader Martin Schulz suggested a portfolio for the protection of ethnic minorities instead.
He stated that Commissioner for Education, Training and Culture Ján Figeľ "will remain responsible for the management of actions to directly promote the inter-cultural dialogue".
Commissioner for Multilingualism is also responsible, alongside the President of the Commission, Barroso, and the European Commissioner for Education, Training and Culture, Ján Figeľ to work on "intercultural dialogue", including the 2008 European Year of Intercultural Dialogue.
Administratively, Commissioner for Multilingualism was in charge of the Directorate-General for Translation, the DG for Interpretation and the Office for Official Publications of the European Communities, as well as for the Multilingualism policy unit (EAC-C-5) in the DG for Education and Culture, with 3,400 staff in total – about 15 per cent of the Brussels executive's workforce- and with about 1 percent of the EU budget.
