Which portfolios for the EU Commissioner is Romania targeting? PM proposes interim commissioner for a start

Which are Romania’s options for the future EU commissioner portfolio assigned to our country? It seems the sectors targeted for Romania are energy, environment, transports or neighbourhood policy.

PM Viorica Dăncila had a phone talk with President Klaus Iohannis on this topic, agreeing to endorse the option of an interim commissioner after Corina Cretu, the former EU Commissioner for Regional Policy on Romania’s behalf had become MEP.

The Romanian PM has sent a letter to the EC President Jean Claude Juncker on this topic, waiting for his reply in a few days. Romania’s representatives have proposed that, if an interim EU Commissioner is accepted for Romania, he or she would not get the salary after the end of the mandate, as the procedure goes.

On the other hand, Juncker had denied the request for Romania to have an interim commissioner, proposing instead that duties of former Romanian Commissioner Corina Cretu should be transferred to other commissioners,  more precisely to Johannes Hahn. However, in a latest decision today, the EU Council rejected Juncker’s proposal, so Romania might have a new interim commissioner after all.

Sources within PSD revealed that PM Dancila had proposed Ioan Mircea Pascu, former MEP, as interim commissioner.

Depending on the portfolio Romania is getting, the person to take over it will be also decided, with information pointing now it might be a woman. The names rumoured in PSD for a EC Commissioner with full mandate are Rovana Plumb, Dan Nica and Mircea Geoana, although the latter, proposed for the Neighbourhood Policy would not have the necessary endorsement. However, Romania’s chances to get this portfolio of Neighbourhood Policy are minor, as the current debates within the EU do not favour a new member of the EU and a border state like Romania to obtain this seat.

The same sources revealed that neither the Commissioner for Transports is in cards for Romania, so the highest chances is the Environment portfolio and the highly probable person to be designated is Rovana Plumb, who held the mandate of minister of Environment in Romania.

Ursula von der Leyen, proposed to take over the helm of the European Commission, is to face to European Parliament’s vote in mid-July. After that the commissioner portfolios will be assigned.