Juncker’s first step as President of the European Commission has been to announce a restructuring of the Commission, together with his proposals for new Commissioners. Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries is set to become one portfolio under Commissioner Karmenu Vella.
Today European Commission President Juncker unveiled his team and the new European Commission. One of Juncker’s main goals as the President of the European Commission is to deliver change in order to tackle the political challenges evident in Europe. This agenda was clear today when he announced not only his choice of Commissioners, but also the reshaping of a number of portfolios. The intention is to give the Commission a better focus and generate closer collaboration among the Members of his College, streamlining the way the Commission operates.
A perhaps surprising element is the reshaping of the Directorates-General for Environment and Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, which have now been combined into one portfolio “to reflect the twin logic of the Blue and Green Growth” agendas. This new portfolio will be led by Commissioner Karmenu Vella, a Maltese Politician – a background he shares with an earlier Commissioner for Fisheries & Maritime Affairs – Joe Borg.
Vella is a long-standing member of the Malta Labour Party, and has served as a Maltese Parliamentarian for 38 years. When in government, he served as Minister four times: Minister for Public Works, 1981–1984; Minister for Industry, 1984–1987; Minister for Tourism, 1996–1998, and as Tourism Minister since March 2013 until his nomination as EU Commissioner Designate. He has a long-standing focus on business and particularly the tourism sector.
As the Commissioner for Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Mr Karmenu will be responsible for DG Environment (DG ENVI), DG Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (DG MARE), as well as the relevant part of the Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (EASME). He will furthermore be responsible for relations with the European Environment Agency (EEA) and the European Fisheries Control Agency (EFCA).
According to Juncker, the reason for combining these two portfolios into one is the need for environmental and maritime conservation policies to work closer together, as these “play a key role in creating jobs, preserving resources while stimulating growth and encouraging investment”. The new President sees a future where protecting the environment while maintaining competiveness goes hand-in-hand.
As part of the structural changes and his ambition to increase collaboration within the Commission, Juncker has outlined four Project Teams with particular agendas, as well as seven Vice Presidents. Vella is tasked to work with Vice-Presidents Jyrki Katainen for Jobs, Growth, Investment and Competitiveness and Alenka Bratušek for Energy Union – each leader of a Project Team.
Whether this will strengthen or marginalise EU environmental policy is difficult to say at this stage. The Blue Growth agenda of the previous Commission has been criticised by NGOs for possibly creating maritime growth at the expense of the marine environment. Let us hope that Vella has the strength to ensure that this does not happen and that implementation of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive proceeds in an integrated manner.
With Junker’s new team unveiled, the Commissioners now face hearings and questions in the European Parliament. If MEPs have doubts about the suitability of a candidate and whether it is the right person for the post, the President may be asked to reshuffle.
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