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Juncker looks for new Slovenian to complete line-up

09 October 2014, 20:31 CET
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Juncker looks for new Slovenian to complete line-up

Alenka Bratusek - Photo © European Union 2014 - EP

(BRUSSELS) - The EU's Jean-Claude Juncker was in urgent talks with Slovenia to find a new Commissioner on Thursday after its nominee humiliatingly resigned in a move that could prevent the Brussels boss taking office on time.

Former Slovenian prime minister Alenka Bratusek was overwhelmingly rejected by the European Parliament on Wednesday, becoming the first of the 28 incoming members of the European Commission to be voted down.

MEPs lambasted Bratusek at a confirmation hearing for her post as EU vice president for energy union, saying she lacked qualifications and had effectively nominated herself in her last days as Slovenia's premier.

But despite the insistence of Juncker's spokesman on Thursday morning that she was still on the team, Juncker himself announced just hours later that 44-year-old Bratusek had withdrawn after all.

"I have a lot of respect for Alenka Bratusek's decision to resign," Juncker said in a statement, adding that it "reflects her commitment to the European Union, to Slovenia and to the democratic process."

Juncker said he was in "close contact" with Slovenia's Prime Minister Miro Cerar to find a new candidate for the Commission, which is the powerful executive branch of the European Union.

The European Parliament is due to vote on whether to approve Juncker's full line-up on October 22, ahead of the planned start of their five-year mandate on November 1.

Each of the EU's 28 member states nominates a Commissioner.

Bratusek's resignation removes the biggest obstacle to Juncker getting his team through, after lawmakers approved the controversial British, French and Spanish commissioners on Wednesday.

But Juncker's spokesman Margaritis Schinis warned there was still a "risk" the Commission might not start work on time in November. A European source said the delay could even be until January to give parliament time to interview the new nominee.

- Economic worries -

The row threatened to distract the EU from pressing concerns including a stagnant eurozone economy, rising public discontent with Brussels and challenges abroad in the shape of Russia and the Islamic State.

In a sign of more trouble ahead for Juncker, Slovenia's Cesar rejected what he called an "ultimatum" from the socialist and conservative groups in the European Parliament to pick socialist MEP Tanja Fajon to replace Bratusek.

Cesar, whose party is affiliated to the same liberal group in the European Parliament that Bratusek belongs to, said it would be "undemocratic and against EU rules" to deny his government the right to choose.

The tussle over Bratusek has exposed bitter faultlines between the various political groups in the European Parliament, with Juncker's conservatives accused of colluding with the social democrats to stitch up Bratusek, whose liberal group is smaller.

But it also revealed the tension between the European Commission -- whose power to draft laws makes it arguably the most powerful organ in Brussels -- and an increasingly assertive parliament that likes to point out it is the EU's only elected institution.

The European Parliament has previously blackballed commissioners in both 2004 -- when Italy's nominee Rocco Buttiglione was sent home for comments about homosexuals -- and in 2009.

But this year for the first time MEPs won the right to effectively choose the head of the Commission, with former Luxembourg prime minister Juncker being the candidate of the centre-right group.

Juncker was bitterly opposed by Britain and Hungary.

Juncker has said he is keen to get to work on a 300 billion euro ($380 billion) investment plan to kickstart growth and jobs in the EU, which when taken together is the world's largest economy with a population of 500 million.

 

European Parliament hearings of the Commissioners-designate


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