01/12/2009

President of the European Commission José Manuel Durão Barroso has announced the portfolios responsibilities for the new Commission (2010-14). The upcoming Commission has 27 members, including President Barroso, one from each Member State. It includes seven vice presidents and nine women.

The Media Programme unit, currently part of the Directorate General (DG) for Information Society, will move to the DG for Education and Culture, Multilingualism and Youth, which will be headed by Androulla Vassiliou (Cyprus), who was until now Commissioner of Health.

Viviane Reding (see video interview), who has been the Luxembourgian European Commissioner since 1999, will become the Commissioner for Justice, Fundamental Rights and Citizenship. The DG for Equality between Men/Women, Action against Discrimination and Civil Society (currently in the DG for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion) will also come under the responsibility of Reding.

The new Commission must gain approval from the European Parliament before it takes office for a term running through October 31, 2014. Commissioners-designate will appear in individual hearings before Parliamentary committees from January 11-19, 2010. The vote of consent on the new Commission as a whole is expected to take place on January 26.