European Commission vice-president Guenter Verheugen has questioned the need for small EU countries to have their own member of the European Commission, EUobserver reported.
"A small member state would benefit more from providing a deputy commissioner in an important area than from providing a commissioner dealing with a marginal area," Verheugen, Germany's commissioner for industry, suggested on German ZDF television. "We need an efficient, small and highly competent commission."
The commissioner said he made the proposals as part of a re-emerging debate on a possible revival of the shelved EU constitution, which also seeks to boost the efficiency of the commission by reducing its size.
The article comments that by proposing "deputy" posts for small member states instead, Verheugen is likely to stir anger among these members - like Belgium, Luxembourg, Slovakia and Hungary - which had fought hard to get the equal rotation principle in the constitution text.
Verheugen also proposed that the president of the commission should be elected by the European Parliament - instead of being picked by national governments - and he or she should thereafter appoint his or her own commissioners.