The new directorate – an initiative from Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso – will be established by 1 May 2009, EUobserver.com reports. The new directorate is expected to be around 400 to 500-man strong and have its own communication, external relations and personnel units. The new body reflects President Barroso’s high stress on energy issues. Energy is currently handled in the hybrid “energy and transport” directorate-general, which serves both energy commissioner Andris Piebalgs and transport commissioner Antonio Tajani, despite the pair’s priorities drifting apart, EUobserver writes.
