New commissioners take their seats for first meeting of enlarged College

By Simon Taylor

Date: 13/05/04

THE first meeting of the European Commission with ten commissioners from the new member states promised to be a historic occasion, rich in symbolism as the representatives of a reunited Europe joined together to set the course for the future of the Union. So what was the overriding sentiment for the meeting's participants?

The fact that the chairs were too small.

The historic session of an expanded Commission took place on 7 May in the same 12th floor room of the Breydel building in which the weekly College meetings have taken place since the Commission left the Berlaymont.

But, to accommodate the ten extra people, the table was expanded and the width of the chairs reduced to fit in all 30 members.

To avoid any sense that the newcomers were a bloc who are treated separately, the new arrivals were diplomatically spread in-between their 'older' colleagues. If proximity to the president is any indication of prestige, then the 'winner' must be Hungary's Peter Balasz, who was only two seats away from Romano Prodi, separated by Vice-President Loyola de Palacio.

Only 28 of the 30 commissioners attended this session, with Chris Patten and David Byrne being away on mission.

As for the meeting itself, those who predicted that the enlarged EU would spell deadlock, paralysis or some other crisis, would havebeen disappointed.

It was business as usualwith the new faces backing the existing Commission's line on the EU's future budget plans and constitution, even though some had opposed aspects of the constitution as members of the Convention which drafted it (such as Poland's Danuta Hübner).

Participants at the meeting commented that several ofthe new commissioners made pertinent contributions including Hübner, her Czech colleague Pavel Telicka and Latvia's Sandra Kalniete.

Observers stressed the new members were not commenting from a national perspective but on general points, such as the need to make effective arguments to support the Commission's proposal for an increased EU budget in the ongoing financial perspectives debate.

One fear about the difficulties of making the enlarged EU work may have been borne out by the meeting. Officials commented that, at more than four hours, the meeting was long, given the relatively short list of items to get through.

Languages posed little problem - except for French speakers - as most of the newcomers spoke in English.

And what of the new commissioners themselves? How did the meeting match up to their expectations? Hübner admitted afterwards she was "amazed" at how well organized the meeting was and how quickly all the points were dealt with, although she said there was a need for more discipline to ensure that commissioners only spoke when they had something pertinent to say. Another new face expressed surprise at the quality of the debate.

So there it is, the new Union. No splits, impasses or deadlocks, just a bigger group of experts broadly agreeing on how to take the EU forward.

None of this will do much to generate headlines, but it is a sign that the enlarged EU will work more effectively than some pessimists have predicted.

That is, as long as the chairs aren't too uncomfortable.

• Simon Taylor is a Brussels- based freelance journalist.

Report of the first meeting of the enlarged European Commission, following the accession of 10 'new' Member States on 1 May 2004.

• Primary Source