EU: When he was appointed President of the European Commission in June, Mr José Manuel Durao Barroso pledged above all to maintain its independence
This is a crucial factor in the European Union's institutional architecture and will shape its future over the next five years.
By and large the nominations announced yesterday fulfil that promise and bring the former Portuguese prime minister over the first major hurdle in his new job.
Coming from a centre-right government in a smaller member-state, Mr Barroso was under pressure from the big member-states to give their nominees the most important jobs; from centre-left governments to recognise their position; and from new member-states to achieve a fair balance.
He has balanced these pressures in choosing his team without alienating too many of the interests involved. Time will tell whether the mix of portfolios and personalities is an optimal one. The five vice-presidents of the Commission come from Sweden, Germany, France, Italy and Estonia, a signal that along with Mr Barroso himself there is a rough balance between large and small states. His choice of Ms Margot Wallström as senior vice-president, who will stand in for him, reinforces the impression.
The economic portfolios were most keenly contested and commented on ahead of these nominations. In appointing Mr Günter Verheugen as a vice-president in charge of enterprise and industry Mr Barroso has recognised Germany's central role in the EU.
Competition - a critically important job - goes to the Dutch Commissioner, Ms Neelie Kroes, a surprise choice and a clever one.
Mr Peter Mandelson, from the UK, gets trade, with an important brief to negotiate for the EU in the next World Trade Organisation round, but he is not made a vice-president. His nomination will probably excite hostile comment in France, which has such an interest in agricultural trade.
On top of that, the French Commissioner, Mr Jacques Barrot, receives an intermediate position at transport, notwithstanding that he, too, is a vice-president. This reflects the difficult politics surrounding Mr Barroso's own appointment, which was initially opposed by President Chirac.
In comparison Mr Charlie McCreevy, with internal market and services, has much to be satisfied about.
He will be a prominent member of the economic team. He has an opportunity to affect policy on the Lisbon Process intended to make the EU's economy more prosperous and dynamic - and to keep a weather eye on any plans to harmonise taxation, which Ireland opposes in principle.
There is a good balance between large and small states in these economic portfolios. But their dispersal across eight separate commissioners will certainly challenge Mr Barroso's co-ordination and leadership skills. So will his insistence that the Commission as a whole will decide on policy, not specific clusters of commissioners.
Politically this Commission reflects the centre-right predominance in the European Parliament and in most of the member-states. But Mr Barroso has been sensitive to the need for political balance.
This can be seen in his nomination of Ms Wallström, a Swedish social democrat as his deputy; in Mr Mandelson's appointment and that of the Spanish Commissioner, Mr Joaquin Almunia, to economic and monetary affairs. Liberals have also fared well.
Mr Barroso had to find worthwhile jobs for 25 other commissioners. He has tackled the task by dividing up some responsibilities and adding new ones.
The 10 new member-states received jobs reflecting their comparative lack of experience. The spread includes health and consumer protection for Cyprus; employment, social affairs and equal opportunity to the Czech Republic; energy to Hungary; fisheries and maritime affairs to Malta; and financial programming and budget to Luthuania.
These are intermediate tasks but not inconsequential ones. Much will depend on how effectively the new commissioners perform them. The most senior of the newcomers is Ms Danuta Hübner from Poland, who is in charge of regional policy.
Her nomination highlights another distinctive feature of this Commission: the fact that one-third of its members are women. This was one of Mr Barroso's priorities, and he has responded progressively to it.
Several of the most senior jobs have been allocated to senior commissioners. As senior vice-president in charge of institutional relations and communications strategy, Ms Wallström will have a vital role to play in connecting the Commission to EU citizens when the new constitutional treaty faces ratification by referendums and parliaments.
The Competition Commissioner is a woman, as is the Agriculture and Rural Development Commissioner, Ms Mariann Fischer Boel from Denmark. The Austrian, Ms Benito Ferrero- Waldner, is in charge of external relations and the EU's neighbourhood policy.
The European Commission is charged with protecting the EU's general interest rather than expressing the national interests of its 25 members. It has the sole right to initiate legislation and prosecute member-states for breach of EU rules.
Mr Barroso pledged yesterday to make prosperity, solidarity and security his top priorities, along with ensuring the EU is understood by its citizens. He impressed the European Parliament with his political and communication skills at their hearings before voting by majority to accept his nomination.
These skills are in evidence in his distribution of portfolios, which will now face another round of parliamentary scrutiny before the Commission takes office on November 1st.
The incoming Commission faces a tough job over the next five years. It must galvanise economic policy; bed down the recent enlargement and prepare for forthcoming ones; advise whether membership negotiations should open with Turkey next year; affirm a more active EU foreign policy and global role; conduct the next WTO trade round negotiations; and propose a new EU budget until 2013.
Mr Barroso must now work to make sure the nominations are confirmed and then to create a collegiality among such a diverse and talented group of Commissioners.