Juncker
makes UK Commissioner Julian King EU’s anti-terror tsar
British
commissioner will set EU strategy in wake of Europe’s escalating
terror threat.
By
Florian Eder
8/2/16, 9:07 AM CET
European Commission
President Jean-Claude Juncker will make the British nominee for the
Commission, Julian King, Europe’s new anti-terrorism tsar, the
Commission announced Tuesday.
The decision to name
King the commissioner for the security union was made after Juncker
“meditated” on what role to assign Britain’s incoming member of
the EU executive body, Commission Spokesperson Mina Andreeva told
reporters yesterday.
The commissioner for
the security union will support the implementation of the European
Agenda on Security, which the European Commission adopted in April
2015, according to a “mission letter” sent to King.
King’s new role
reflects the Commission president’s priorities in the post-Brexit
Commission, and demonstrates his signature sense of humor.
After the Brussels
attacks in March 2016, Juncker called for a “security union” to
respond to the threat of terrorism and said Europe needed to better
coordinate its response.
“We feel we need
capital markets union, energy union, economic and monetary union, but
we also think that we need a security union,” Juncker said on March
23.
While many EU
countries applauded the move, the U.K. was a notable exception. The
job in security policy will be seen by many across the Continent as
politically important, but with a raison d’être that was widely
criticized in Britain.
Juncker informed
both Julian King and U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May Monday evening
of his decision, according to EU officials.
Sources said
Martin Selmayr, chief of staff to President Jean-Claude Juncker, has
approached at least three commissioners, like Miguel Arias Cañete
(pictured), whose portfolio covers climate action and energy
The Brussels bubble
has been abuzz with speculation on what job Juncker would give King,
given he represents the first country ever to leave the EU. POLITICO
reported in July that other commissioners had been asked to cede
parts of their portfolios to King.
Former British Prime
Minister David Cameron had reportedly, according to POLITICO,
requested an environment portfolio for King, but that was never a
real option, EU officials told POLITICO.
Cameron’s request
was knocked back because the environment portfolio would have had too
significant a conflict of interests for a United Kingdom set to quit
the EU, such as deciding how to share the burden of joint EU 2030
climate goals among EU countries, an issue that will have to be
negotiated in the years to come.
Further, giving King
the environment portfolio would have meant having to take it away
from a Socialist commissioner, harming a fragile political balance
within the Commission, according to EU officials.
The decision to give
King the security portfolio was also made to ensure the incoming
commissioner is kept busy.
“There’s many
important things we have to tackle, and the British member of the
Commission should take an active part in this,” a source familiar
with Juncker’s thinking told POLITICO. Read: The British
Commissioner should have important work and travel commitments,
rather than sit idly by with time to filter sensitive information to
the British government during Brexit negotiations with the EU.
Authors:
Florian Eder
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