On September 10 the incoming President of the European Commission, Jean Claude Junker, named seven Vice Presidents and 20 commissioners who will jointly control the European Commission for the next five years, assuming they are confirmed in November by the European Parliament.
The process by which the names emerge is perhaps best described as byzantine. It involves EU governments putting forward candidates and then horse trading to achieve the position that might best suit their relative economic and political weight and the interests of each country. The consequence is that it is unclear until the last moment which candidates and nations will obtain the most influential posts.
What is also unusual about the process is that those whose names are put forward are of mixed ability; some are very senior politicians, while
