Juncker’s compromise solution: Ioan Mircea Pascu, appointed European Commissioner without portfolio

Ioan Mircea Pascu (photo), proposed by the Dancila Government for the position of European Commissioner to replace Corina Cretu, has been appointed European Commissioner but will not receive a portfolio and will have a mandate until October 31. In the same situation is the Estonian candidate Kadri Simson. The decision was made by European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker after the EU Council rejected the proposal that Romania and Estonia would no longer have commissioners for the remaining mandate of the current Commission, hotnews.ro reports.

A European Commission spokesperson said that European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker has informed the European Parliament on Friday that he interviewed Kadri Simson and Ioan Mircea Pascu for the position of European Commissioners, after Corina Creţu and Andrus Ansip took over their MEP mandates. They would be in office until the end of President Juncker’s term, until October 31, 2019.

According to the quoted source, EC President Jean-Claude Juncker decided not to allocate specific portfolios to the two, given the short period of time remaining until the end of the mandate. They will, however, participate to the Commission’s activities and to team projects.

In the letters sent to the two appointed commissioners, President Juncker reminded them of their responsibilities as members of the Commission, “including the obligation to comply with the highest possible professional and ethical standards.”

The European Commission spokesman also said that Juncker has sent a letter on Friday to David Sassoli, the President of the European Parliament, informing him of the decision.

He also informed Antti Rinne, the Prime Minister of Finland, the country currently holding the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union, as well as Juri Ratas and Viorica Dancila, Prime Ministers of Estonia and Romania.

The vote in the European Parliament for the two interim commissioners is scheduled next Thursday. On Tuesday, the Conference of Committee Chairmen in the European Parliament will hear Ioan Mircea Pascu and Kadri Simson, according to the European Legislative’s schedule.