UK’s new EU commissioner given security portfolio

Britain’s new European commissioner has been given a narrow brief covering organised crime and counter-terrorism issues, as Brussels moved to settle the delicate issue of how to allocate responsibilities to a commissioner from a country on course to exit the EU.

The EU’s executive arm said on Tuesday that Sir Julian King would be handed the role of “commissioner for the security union”, while making clear that the role would be tightly defined and largely focused on operational measures rather than policymaking.

In a mission letter, Jean-Claude Juncker, commission president, said no responsibilities would be handed to Sir Julian from existing commissioners, meaning in practice that much of the policymaking power over security issues would remain with Dimitris Avramopoulos, EU home affairs chief.

Mr Juncker also said it would continue to be Mr Avramopoulos, and not Sir Julian, who would represent the commission in the European Parliament and at meetings of national ministers. The letter said Sir Julian should focus on “concrete operational measures” and “support” Mr Avramopoulos in his work.

Sir Julian, a former UK ambassador to France, was nominated by former prime minister David Cameron in July to replace Jonathan Hill, who resigned following the Brexit vote. Lord Hill, who held the high-profile position of financial services commissioner, said it would be politically unsustainable for him to continue. His responsibilities were immediately reallocated by Mr Juncker.

Elmar Brok, chairman of the EU parliament’s foreign affairs committee, said Sir Julian would be “a type of junior commissioner” when it came to his portfolio. He noted, however, that Sir Julian would have a full vote in the EU commission’s ruling college, and that it was this voice in decision-making that was probably the most important thing for the UK.

A commission spokeswoman said Sir Julian’s job was a “cross-cutting portfolio” that would require him and his colleagues to work in a “team spirit”.

The operational nature of Sir Julian’s role sidesteps the political dilemmas and likely resistance in the European Parliament that would have arisen had he been given a big political-making role.

Mr Brok, a member of Angela Merkel’s CDU party, said it was unthinkable, for instance, that the UK commissioner could take charge of an economic policy portfolio, given that Britain is heading for the EU exit door.

He also said a big task facing Sir Julian would be to try to encourage national security agencies to work more closely together, after gaps in intelligence-sharing were exposed by recent terror attacks.

Mr Juncker’s mission letter specifically mentions the need to upgrade a European Counter Terrorism Centre being developed within Europol, the EU’s law enforcement agency.

Downing Street said: “Security is a vital issue for all member states and co-operation across the EU can help to better protect us all from the range of threats we face.

“The UK will continue to fulfil our rights and obligations as a member state until we leave the EU . . . so it is right that we should continue to have a commissioner role.”

Thomas Renard, researcher at Belgium’s Egmont Institute for International Relations, a think-tank, said Sir Julian’s job would make him “more of a co-ordinator, or an adviser” to other commissioners. At the same time, the appointment was a way to “demonstrate that the commission is active on the security agenda.”

Before taking up his responsibilities, Sir Julian will in the autumn face a confirmation hearing before MEPs. While the parliament does not per se have a binding say on appointments, Mr Juncker is required to “seriously consider” its views.

But Gianni Pittella, leader of the European Parliament’s centre-left Socialists and Democrats, said he did not expect Sir Julian to face problems in his confirmation hearing.

“It is a little, technical portfolio,” he said of Sir Julian’s new role, adding there should be “no prize, no award” for voting to leave the EU.