GERMANY: Germany's Chancellor Gerhard Schröder signalled flexibility yesterday over the composition of the European Commission, saying Germany could accept not always having a representative on the body.
The number of commissioners could be reduced so that all 25 member-states, including the biggest, Germany, would take turns at going without a representative on the Commission, he added.
At present each member has at least one commissioner and the five biggest have, until this year, had two representatives.
"A compromise could be found in maintaining for a few years the principle where each member-state is represented in the Commission with one commissioner," Mr Schröder said in the text of a speech to be delivered in the Dutch city of Rotterdam. "Then Germany would be ready to accept a system of equal rotation between the member-states," he added.