Austria’s Hahn nominated for second Commission term

Governing coalition backs current commissioner.

The Austrian government has announced that it will nominate Johannes Hahn, the European commissioner for regional policy, for a second term as member of the European Commission.

Michael Spindelegger, vice-chancellor of Austria and leader of the Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP) to which Hahn belongs, said yesterday: “We have agreed that [Johannes] Hahn will be commissioner,” referring to the two parties in the governing coalition, the ÖVP and the Austrian Socialist Party (SPÖ) of Prime Minister Werner Faymann.

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Spindelegger said that he had discussed Hahn’s nomination for a second term with Jean-Claude Juncker, who has been nominated as president of the European Commission. He was unable to say which portfolio Hahn might receive in the next Commission. When asked if Hahn could be in charge of regional policy for a second term, Spindelegger said: “It doesn’t look bad.” It is normal for members of the Commission to change portfolio in their second term.

Hahn has been given responsibility for justice, citizenship and fundamental rights in the European Commission until the end of its term, which is expected to be at the end of the year. These policies were under Viviane Reding, a vice-president of the Commission who became an MEP on 1 July. Reding and Hahn are from the same political family, the centre-right European People’s Party (EPP).

Hahn was Austria’s minister for science and research in 2007-10 and a member of the regional government of Vienna in 2003-07.