Prodi: talent Eurocommissarissen belangrijker dan geografische afkomst

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - Commission President Romano Prodi provided an off-the-cuff solution to small countries worried about representation in the Brussels executive under the new Constitution today (15 October).

It is not where you come from, it is how talented you are.

"If a small country has a very intelligent and strong commissioner, he will have a strong portfolio", Mr Prodi told journalists this morning.

The reverse is also true according to the Commission President: "If a small country does not have a strong and intelligent commissioner, he will have a small portfolio".

"This is the basic proposal that we made", said the Italian with a simple shrug.

Discussions on the size of the Commission and the possible distribution of portfolios have proven to be amongst the bitterest in the talks to finalise the EU's Constitution.

Large member states support reducing the number of commissioners with voting rights to 15, as recommended by the Convention which drew up the draft.

Smaller countries fear this will lead to a two-tiered Commission that will benefit larger countries.

Led by Finland and Austria, and supported by the Commission, they have mounted a vigorous campaign for one commissioner per member state with full voting rights.

However, some believe this will not stop large countries getting the big portfolios.

At the moment some of the most important portfolios are concentrated in the hands of commissioners from large member states - who have two commissioners each.

The remaining ten countries have one each, and each commissioner is chosen by their national government and, in theory, is supposed to represent the greater good of the community and be "completely independent in the performance of their duties".

However, some commissioners, in areas of specific national interest have been known to wade into issues wearing their 'national hats'.

Currently, the UK has a Commission vice-president and an external relations Commissioner. An Italian heads the Commission and looks after competition policy. Germans oversee enlargement and budget and two Frenchmen look after trade and regional policy.

At the other end of the scale Luxembourg's Commissioner looks after education, Belgium's Commissioner oversees research and Greece's Commissioner keeps an eye on social affairs.

The composition of the Commission will form part of the talks on the Constitution during a heads of state and government meeting in Brussels tomorrow.