EU loses no time in appointing new Commission:
This article was originally published in Clinica
Executive Summary
Following the withdrawal at the end of October by the incoming president of the European Commission, Jose Manuel Dur-o Barroso, of his proposed team of new commissioners, just days before they were due to take up office, a new team has now been accepted. The Council of the European Union adopted a decision on November 19 appointing the president and members of the Commission. The decision will take effect on November 22 and the team will be in office until October 31, 2009. Following the upheaval, there are two new faces in the team - Franco Frattini of Italy (justice, freedom and security) and Andris Piebalgs of Latvia (energy). One Commissioner, Lazlo Kovacs of Hungary, has a new portfolio (taxation and the customs union). The team was approved by the European Parliament on November 18. There are no alterations to the key people for the medical devices and diagnostics industries: Gunter Verheugen remains and enterprise and industry commissioner and Markos Kyprianou as health and consumer protection commissioner.