Olli Rehn's New Job

Turkish hand me down Olli Rehn to the Rescue to help Greeks. He was currently serving as European Commissioner for Enlargement.Rehn presided over the accession of Bulgaria and Romania in 2007, as well as continuing negotiations with Croatia and opening them with Turkey, the latter being perhaps the most significant and the most hotly debated future accession. Rehn favours Turkish membership but has controversially suggested permanent restrictions on the free movement of workers from Turkey, "in case serious disturbances occur in the labour market within the EU as a result of Turkey’s accession".

Speech in Istanbul on the subject of Turkish accession (full text), 20 October 2004

Mavi Boncuk |
The European Union approved new economic leadership, putting a Finn in charge of policing Greece’s deficit, a Frenchman at the helm of bank regulation and a Spaniard in the top antitrust job.

European Commission President Jose Barroso won approval for a team that features Olli Rehn as economy commissioner, Michel Barnier as financial-services chief and Joaquin Almunia as head of competition. The European Parliament gave its backing today in Strasbourg, France, amid investor concerns about ballooning government deficits and bank resistance to planned rules that would curb risk- taking.

The new lineup at the commission, the 27-nation EU’s executive arm, takes office as Europe is grappling with a Greek budget gap that’s more than four times the EU limit and officials today held out the prospect of aiding Greece in return for progress by the country in reducing its budget deficit.