EU/European reaction: In appointing his new team, the incoming President of the European Commission, Mr Jose Manuel Barrroso, resisted any pressure to give the bulk of the best positions to nominees from the bigger member-states.
The most keenly watched portfolios were the so-called "money jobs": competition, trade, economic and monetary affairs and the internal market, which Mr Barroso split among big and small states.
"I think he has resisted the pressure from France and Germany to give them oversight over economic policy," said Daniel Gros, director of the Centre for European Policy Studies.
"He has tried to make it balanced and not let the large countries dominate." The Minister for Finance, Mr McCreevy, was given the internal market portfolio, while Spain's Joaquin Almunia will be in charge of economic and monetary affairs, keeping his current position.
Britain's Peter Mandelson won the coveted trade post, Germany's Guenter Verheugen became the EU's industry chief and France's Jacques Barrot took on transport.
"The French may not be entirely satisfied, the appointment probably reflects a degree of independence that Barroso managed to show," said John Palmer, head of the European Policy Centre.
France declined to comment on Mr Barrot's post. Britain said it was pleased with Mandelson's role, and German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder said he was not surprised with Verheugen's brief. Experts said Mr Barroso's choices also reflected a tendency towards a more liberal economic policy.
"It's interesting to see that the main seats in the Commission - internal market, competition, trade - all went to countries with liberal traditions," said Vincent Brophy, a partner with law firm Linklaters in Brussels.
"I think it is, on balance, more to the liberal side probably. But again we have to see how the Commission works as a group," said Gros.
Mr Barroso carved up some portfolios, separating transport from energy and dividing agriculture and fisheries to give each member of the 25-strong team a single portfolio.
Regional policy went to Poland's Danuta Huebner, agriculture to Denmark's Mariann Fischer Boel, while Italy's Rocco Buttiglione was named commissioner for justice and home affairs.
Portfolios such as education and consumer protection are seen as less attractive, though each commissioner has the same clout when the panel votes on proposing a new law or taking legal action against a member-state - the executive's main powers.
The new commissioners include three former prime ministers, five former foreign ministers and three former finance ministers.
More women were nominated by their governments than ever before: one-third of the new executive will be female.
Another key appointment, taxation, went to Ingrida Udre from Latvia - one of the new accession states - seen as a signal that Franco-German plans for greater tax harmonisation will not get far. Other changes to the current situation introduced by Mr Barroso include:
The Commission president personally chairing the group of Commissioners on external relations and on the Lisbon Strategy;
A new job of vice-president for institutional relations and communication strategy;
A greater use of task forces to anticipate policy issues;
Grouping commissioners in the same building (Berlaymont);
Separating financial control from budgetary affairs and appoint a Vice-President to oversee sound management.
The new Commission will take office on November 1st, subject to a vote of approval by the European Parliament. The European Parliament can only vote on the whole body and not on individual Commissioners. - (Reuters)