Germany flexible on number of commissioners in future EU
By Honor Mahony
German chancellor Gerhard Schröder has indicated that he will be flexible on the issue of how many commissioners there should be in a future EU.
Speaking at Rotterdam University on Thursday (15 April), the Chancellor said that Germany could eventually accept not always having its own representative in the Brussels executive.
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Mr Schröder said the number of commissioners could be reduced so that all 25 member-states, including Germany, would take turns at going without a representative on the Commission.
"A compromise could be found in maintaining for a few years the principle where each member-state is represented in the Commission with one commissioner", said the Chancellor.
Then the principle of equal rotation would be introduced, he continued. "That would mean that not only small member states but also the large ones would in the future have to regularly forgo a commissioner".
The number of commissioners in a future EU is one of the big issues still to be resolved in the negotiations on Europe's Constitution.
Important concession
Germany's concession is important as smaller countries, particularly Austria, which have been fighting tooth and nail for one commissioner per member state, have indicated they will only accept a smaller commission so long as rotation is done on an equal basis.
Thursday also saw Poland and Spain, formerly renowned for blocking an advance on the treaty negotiations, reiterate their preparedness to compromise.
Polish Foreign Minister Wlodzimierz Cimoszewicz said, "Poland is open for talks, Poland is open for compromise, especially in those areas where we presented a different position to some of our partners".
"However, the condition of achieving an agreement is the readiness ... by all of us to accept a fair compromise, a wise and fair compromise".
Spain's new leader José Luis Rodriguez Zapatero also said that he would do everything possible to see the Constitution signed before the end of the Irish EU Presidency - at the end of June.
The main questions still open concern the EU's institutions and the balance of power in them.
At a summit last month, EU leaders gave themselves until 17-18 June to finalise the treaty blueprint.