Final talks on EU executive

Incoming European Commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso braced yesterday for a final round of highly secretive negotiations on the line-up of the EU executive after some candidates were left unhappy, EU officials said.

During the past two weeks, the former Portuguese prime minister has met the 24 nominees, picked by national governments to serve in the Commission for five years starting in November.

"Barroso has already met everyone, or nearly everyone. But if anybody has any knowledge on who may receive which Commission portfolio, it is Barroso himself," a Commission official said.

Mr Barroso has said he will reveal how the jobs will be assigned on August 27 at the latest. His most difficult task will be to satisfy demands of big EU members such as Britain, France and Germany, without giving the impression of surrender.

The candidates include three former prime ministers, five former foreign ministers and three former finance ministers.

EU sources say Mr Barroso has upset some nominees from smaller states by suggesting they are unlikely to receive posts considered important in Brussels - the so-called "money jobs".

These prized posts include competition, trade, monetary affairs and the internal market.

"Among incoming commissioners, there are many high profile people with ambitions. It will be difficult to keep everybody happy," an EU diplomat said.

EU jobs such as education or consumer protection are seen as less attractive, although each commissioner has the same clout when the panel votes on proposing a new law or on taking legal action against a member state - the executive's main powers.

Former Estonian prime minister and central bank chief Sim Kallas was disappointed when he learned he might be appointed commissioner in charge of the EU's anti-fraud office OLAF, EU sources said.

Lithuanian Commissioner Dalia Grybauskaite, the country's energetic former finance minister, is said to be concerned she might be stuck with the education and culture portfolio, where she is now shadowing in the outgoing Commission. Commissioners from the 10 countries that joined the Union in May will receive proper portfolios in November after sharing tasks with current Commission members for six months.

EU diplomats speculate the competition portfolio, in which multibillion-euro mergers are decided upon, could go to Greek Commissioner Stavros Dimas or Ireland's Charlie McCreevy rather than France's Jacques Barrot, who is keen on having the job.

Some newspapers have reported that Britain's Peter Mandelson might become the trade commissioner, although EU insiders insist the nomination has not been set in stone.

They also speculate that Germany's Guenter Verheugen, in charge of EU enlargement, will not get the job he desires - the "super-commissioner" in charge of economic reforms - but may get the industry or the internal market portfolio.