EUROPEAN COMMISSION: BARROSO TEAM POSTS LIBERAL CREDENTIALS.

Allocation of portfolios.

Portfolios are to be shared out as follows:

- Margot Wallstrom (Sweden): Vice-President with responsibility for Institutional Relations and Communications Strategy. Her responsibilities will include relations with the European Parliament, the Council of Ministers, the Committee of the Regions, the Economic and Social Committee, contacts with national Parliaments and co-ordination of the Press and Communications DG.

- Gunter Verheugen (Germany): Vice-President with responsibility for Enterprise and Industry. His responsibilities will include co-ordinating the Commission's role on the Competitiveness Council, particularly through the attachment of several units of the Internal Market Directorate General to his services. He will also be responsible for space policy (which was previously "associated" with research), and safety research.

- Rocco Buttiglione (Italy): Vice-President with responsibility for Justice, Freedom and Security. This new name for a portfolio previously dubbed Justice and Home Affairs is said to reflect the importance of security to the people of Europe.

- Siim Kallas (Estonia): Vice-President with responsibility for Administrative Affairs, Audit and Anti-Fraud, though the administrative unit of the fight against fraud will continue to answer to the Directorate-General for the Budget. He will also be charged with consolidating administrative reform, with the exception of the Commission's linguistic services - interpretation and translation - which are attached to Mr Figel's portfolio.

- Jacques Barrot (France): Vice-President with responsibility for Transport.

- Charly McCreevy (Ireland): Internal Market and Services. He will notably be responsible for financial services and the free movement of capital, but not for taxation which will be entrusted to his colleague Mrs Udre.

- Neelie Kroes-Smit (Netherlands): Competition.

- Joaquin Almunia (Spain): Economic and Monetary Affairs.

- Peter Mandelson (Britain): Trade.

- Ingrida Udre (Latvia): Taxation and Customs Union.

- Dalia Grybauskaite (Lithuania): Financial Perspectives and the Budget.

- Danuta Hubner (Poland): Regional Policy.

- Mariann Fischer Boel (Denmark): Agriculture and Rural Development.

- Joe Borg (Malta): Fisheries and Maritime Affairs.

- Stavros Dimas (Greece): Environment.

- Markos Kyprianou (Chyprus): Health and Consumer Protection.

- Vladimir Spidla (Czech Republic): Employment, Social Affairs And Equal Opportunities.

- Laszlo Kovacs (Hungary): Energy.

- Viviane Reding (Luxembourg): Information Society and Media. Audiovisual Policy and the Media (previously associated with...