Belgique - Bruxelles - Schuman - Berlaymont - 01

The Prodi Commission was the

European Commission The European Commission (EC) is the executive of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with 27 members of the Commission (informally known as "Commissioners") headed by a President. It includes an administrative body ...

in office between 1999 and 2004. The administration was led by former

Italian Prime Minister The Prime Minister of Italy, officially the President of the Council of Ministers ( it, link=no, Presidente del Consiglio dei Ministri), is the head of government of the Italian Republic. The office of president of the Council of Ministers is ...

Romano Prodi Romano Antonio Prodi (; born 9 August 1939) is an Italian politician, economist, academic, senior civil servant, and business executive who served as the tenth president of the European Commission from 1999 to 2004. He served twice as Pr ...

History

The commission took office on 16 September 1999 following the scandal and subsequent resignation of the

Santer Commission The Santer Commission was the European Commission in office between 23 January 1995 and 15 March 1999. The administration was led by Jacques Santer (former Prime Minister of Luxembourg). The body had 20 members and oversaw the introduction of ...

which had damaged the reputation of the institution. The college consisted of 20 Commissioners which grew to 30 following the

Enlargement of the European Union The European Union (EU) has expanded a number of times throughout its history by way of the accession of new member states to the Union. To join the EU, a state needs to fulfil economic and political conditions called the Copenhagen criteria ...

in 2004. It was the last commission to see two members allocated to the larger member states. This commission (the 10th) saw in increase in power and influence following the

Amsterdam Treaty The Treaty of Amsterdam, officially the Treaty of Amsterdam amending the Treaty on European Union, the Treaties establishing the European Communities and certain related acts, was signed on 2 October 1997, and entered into force on 1 May 1999; i ...

. Some in the media described president Prodi as being the first "Prime Minister of the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been de ...

". As well as the enlargement and Amsterdam Treaty, the Prodi Commission also saw the signing and enforcement of the

Nice Treaty The Treaty of Nice was signed by European leaders on 26 February 2001 and came into force on 1 February 2003. It amended the Maastricht Treaty (or the Treaty on European Union) and the Treaty of Rome (or the Treaty establishing the European C ...

as well as the conclusion and signing of the

European Constitution The Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe (TCE; commonly referred to as the European Constitution or as the Constitutional Treaty) was an unratified international treaty intended to create a consolidated constitution for the European U ...

: in which he introduced the "Convention method" of negotiation. From 1999 Prodi saw in the

euro The euro ( symbol: €; code: EUR) is the official currency of 19 out of the member states of the European Union (EU). This group of states is known as the eurozone or, officially, the euro area, and includes about 340 million citizens . ...

and by 2002 it came into cash form and the single currency for 12 of the EU's 15 member states. The body was however criticised for being lacklustre, with poor communication and failing to make an impact despite major events such as enlargement and the euro.BM: The new Commission – some initial thoughts
bmbrussels.be 2004 The commission was due to leave office on 31 October 2004, but due to opposition from the

European parliament The European Parliament (EP) is one of the legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it adopts ...

to the proposed

Barroso Commission The Barroso Commission was the European Commission in office from 22 November 2004 until 31 October 2014. Its president was José Manuel Barroso, who presided over 27 other commissioners (one from each of the states composing the European Uni ...

which would succeed it, it was extended and finally left office on 21 November 2004.

Commissioners

When the Commission took office in 1999, there were 20 Commissioners, one from each member state and two from the largest 5 states (

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

, France, Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom). 2004 saw 15 new Commissioners, 5 replacing existing Commissioners who had resigned before the end of their mandate and 10 from the new member states who joined in that year. Most of these Commissioners continued to serve in the following Barroso Commission. The members from the new states shared a portfolio with an existing member, rather than creating new posts or having Commissioners (old or new) without a portfolio. The following table indicates the number of Commissioners according to their political alignment at the start of the commission, those who joined from the new member states and the number when the Commission left office. The colours reflect those used in the table of Commissioners below.

By political affiliation

Initial College

New commissioners from 1 May 2004

External links

President Prodi's Website

References

{{European Union topics European Commissions 1999 establishments in the European Union 2004 disestablishments in the European Union Romano Prodi