Dacian Ciolos, Agriculture and Rural Development
(Romania, Independent)

Background

Dacian Ciolos has a strong connection with the European Commission. He first started as a stagiare in the Directorate General for Agriculture in 1997 and in 2002-2003 worked for the European Commission Delegation to Romania.  In 2005 he became an adviser to the Romanian Ministry of Agriculture, and in 2007 was appointed as the Minister for European Affairs and subsequently the Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development.  In 2009 he was the head of the Presidential Commission on Agricultural Policy for the government of Romania, before being appointed to the European Commission.  Mr Ciolos holds several academic qualifications, including a PhD in agriculture and agronomy, and he has spent considerable time working in France.   He is also fluent in French and married to a French national – traits that led to the French President Nicolas Sarkozy to describe Ciolos as the “second French Commissioner”.

Stated objectives on taking office

• To negotiate the 2013 Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) reform – this is by far the biggest issue he faces;
• To reform the issue of Direct Payments to farmers to achieve a better balance between incomes and market-led prices;
• To discuss and implement new mechanisms to prevent agricultural price fluctuations;
• To make no further concessions on WTO negotiations.

Members of the Cabinet

Georg HAEUSLER, Head of Cabinet
Sorin MOISA, Deputy Head of Cabinet
Yves MADRE, Member, Agricultural Markets and Post-2013 CAP Consultation Process
Ico VON WEDEL, Member, Inter-institutional Relations
Gwilym JONES, Member, External Relations and Trade
Alexandra CATALAO,  Member , Agricultural Markets and Rural Development

Alina UJUPAN, Rural Development and Direct Payments

Roger WAITE, Spokesperson

Main actions to date

• Launching a consultation on the future of the CAP;
• Participating in discussions of the High Level Group on the milk sector, which aims to make recommendations for further EU support to dairy farmers.  Action on this initiative is expected by the end of the year.

What to expect

His task to reform the CAP is a risky one, as whatever he does he will inevitably be criticized by at least one side of the debate. CAP reform is the bête noire of the EU, and few envy the task.  Making matters more difficult, milk prices collapsed in 2009, which triggered a wave of violent demonstrations by farmers.  This will only complicate the difficult tasks ahead of this Commissioner.  His long-standing background in agricultural issues – including his experience working with the European Commission – will help give him credibility in negotiations, but it remains to be seen whether he will succeed in making everyone happy.  His strong personal and professional ties to France (see President Sarkozy’s comments above) may help him gain credibility with an important Member State but also may make more ‘liberal’ countries (as well as international trading partners) more wary of him and to see him as being a ‘puppet’ of France when tackling agricultural subsidies reform.