EUROPEAN COMMISSION: CZECH WINS KEY EXTERNAL RELATIONS POST.

Sixty-one year old Mr Kovanda, a former deputy Czech foreign minister and Czech ambassador to the United Nations, will also be the Commission's Political Director, representing the Commission in the Council of Minister's Political and Security Committee (PSC). The PSC is a powerful decision-making body on military and security issues within the Council, being the equivalent of the Committee of Permanent Representatives to the EU in other areas. Under the current Treaty arrangements, the Commission does not have voting rights within the committee but its representative can speak at will. Formally the Commission has to be "associated" with all decisions taken under the Union's Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) which means in practice that it must be informed of decisions and consulted to ensure coordination with other areas of EU external relations policy.

The appointment of...