Ciolos at the European Commission: Gains and risks for Romania

The process of forming the new European Commission is almost finalized, since Jose Manuel Barroso was reconfirmed for a new mandate as EC President on 15-16 September. Although he has not yet been officially confirmed, former Minister of Agriculture Dacian Ciolos, is the first option for Romania’s future Commissioner.


The chances Romania has of insisting on its choice for European Agriculture Commissioner will depend on how Romania’s diplomats negotiate with the members of the Union, President Traian Basescu said early this month. Ciolos enjoys the support of France and Italy, as well as the countries that share Romania’s vision on the EU’s agricultural policy, Minister of Foreign Affairs Cristian Diaconescu said.

According to former Presidential Advisor Dan Petre, and researcher of the Romanian Diplomatic Institute, Ciolos’s strengths are his professional experience and the fact that he knows the European mechanisms in the agricultural sector well. His weakness relates to his being an independent, and support given by the European Parliament to the candidates is closely related to their political affiliation.

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