Dane new farm commissioner

 THE NEW EU Commission President, Portuguese José Manuel Barroso, has presented his new team of commissioners.

His choice as Franz Fischler‘s successor as agriculture commissioner is Mariann Fischer Boel from Denmark.

In order to take up the post as commissioner, Ms Fischer Boel will have to step down as agriculture minister in the Danish government, a position she has held since November 2001.

Ms Fischer Boel has been a minister for Denmark‘s Liberal Party.

The new commissioner said she was very happy with her appointment and stated that she regards development in rural areas in Europe as an important part of her new job.

“It is important to me that we can build a bridge between agriculture and the rest of the population in order to create a wider understanding of agricultural policy,” Ms Fischer Boel told the Danish newspaper Berlingske Tidende.

Ms Fischer Boel will, together with Peter Mandelson, the new EU trade commissioner, have EU responsibility for the coming WTO negotiations within the framework that was laid down in Geneva recently.

Other new commissioners in Barroso‘s team include Jacques Barrot, France (transport), Gunther Verheugen, Germany (industry), Neelie Kroes, Netherlands (competition), Danuta Hubner, Poland (regional policy), Stavros Dimas, Greece (environment) and Ingrida Udre, Latvia (taxation and customs).