Gonzi has finally made up his mind, but is it too late to land a decent portfolio?
Dalli’s late nomination – the second before last after The Netherlands – may limit the choice of portfolio available to the Maltese representative on the European Commission, informed sources told MaltaToday.
Political observers in Brussels have long been speculating which portfolio will be assigned to which Commission nominee, and it is understood that ‘negotiations’ between individual candidates and the Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso have been ongoing to this effect for several months.
As a result, many of the more important positions are believed to have already been decided behind closed doors – although the final make-up of the next Commission will only be confirmed after each Commissioner is individually approved by the European Parliament in January.
John Dalli, whose background is very clearly in economics, may be justified in expecting a Commissionership tailor-made to his expertise: for instance, the coveted Financial Services or Trade Commissions. However, his prospects may have been dampened by Gonzi’s long-drawn out contemplation, at a time when other potential candidates had been jockeying for such positions for months.
Speaking informally to this newspaper, one EU official explained that Dalli, while highly regarded in Malta, is too “unknown” within EU circles to be automatically trusted with any of the important portfolios. However, the decision ultimately rests with Barroso, who hosted Dalli in Brussels last week for a private meeting.
“The fact that Mr Dalli accepted the nomination only after this meeting strongly suggests that some form of preliminary agreement has already been reached,” one insider told this newspaper. “It is unlikely that Mr Dalli would have settled for anything less than a prestigious appointment, but realistically speaking his chances of getting any of the bigger portfolios remain remote.”
Possible portfolios
Malta – which unsuccessfully bid for the Development Aid portfolio in 2004, only to settle for Fisheries & Maritime Affairs instead – is understood to be angling for Enlargement this time round.
This prestigious portfolio would place the Maltese Commissioner in charge of delicate negotiations with countries such as Serbia, Croatia and Bosnia – with which Malta already enjoys good relations – as well as countries such as Turkey, which present unique challenges on account of widespread cultural resistance within Europe.
With his wide-ranging background in both economic restructuring and foreign affairs, John Dalli is acknoweldged to be well positioned for this appointment.
However, for the reasons outlined above the chances of landing precisely Enlargement are remote. Alternative portfolios, which have mentioned in connection with the Maltese Commissioner, include Consumer Affairs - hitherto occupied by Bulgaria’s Meglena Kuneva – and possibly even Multilingualism, formerly assigned to Romania’s Leonard Orban.
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