New appointment
October 26, 2009
Guenther Oettinger, 56, accepted the post on Saturday. Trained as a lawyer, he is regarded as an economic expert.
"We need a strong personality in Brussels that has the economic policy experience, and knows what's important in our country," said Volker Kauder, head of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) parliamentary group. "That is a strong signal from this national government to Brussels."
The move, announced after coalition talks between Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats and the Free Democrats, drew criticism from Oettinger's opponents in the Baden-Wuerttemburg government.
The Social Democrats said Merkel was simply "withdrawing a beleaguered premier from circulation." Green Party politician Juergen Trittin said Oettinger had proven himself to be a less than enthusiastic supporter of European integration. Far left party Die Linke has called for new state elections.
The Christian Democrats in Baden-Wuerttemburg suffered significant losses in state polls earlier this year, despite being the dominant party since 1953. They won only 34.4 percent of the party vote, a 5 percent drop compared to the 2005 election results.
Oettinger is known for his ability to rattle off facts when challenged in his thick Swabian accent, which often stymies German listeners. He was also at the center of a 2007 controversy in which he eulogized his predecessor Hans Filbinger as "an opponent of Nazism," when Filbinger was in fact part of a Nazi judicial team that sentenced army deserters to death. Oettinger later distanced himself from his remarks.
A return to Brussels for Christian Democrats
It has been more than two decades since a Christian Democrat served as Germany's commissioner. The last was Karl-Heinz Narjes, who served from 1981-1988.
Oettinger would replace Social Democrat Guenther Verheugen, who has served as commissioner since 1999 and as the body's vice president since 2004. His current term officially ends on October 31.
There is one EU Commissioner for each member country. Commissioners serve five-year terms, and new ones are chosen within six months of European Parliamentary elections. The list of candidates must be approved by at least two-thirds of the Council of Ministers and by a simple majority of the EU Parliament.
The Brussels-based Commission's main duties include proposing and reviewing legislation, simplifying EU procedure, enforcing European law and serving as the EU's representatives internationally.
If Oettinger is confirmed, his likely successor in Baden-Wuerttemburg is Stefan Mappus, the CDU's party head there.
svs/AFP/dpa/ap
Editor: Sonia Phalnikar