Home Affairs for Swedish Commissioner
Updated 17:00
Swedish EU minister Cecilia Malmström, the government's choice as new Swedish commissioner in Brussels, will become the EU's new home affairs commissioner, covering migration and police work, such as combating narcotics and asylum policy.
This is regarded as a complicated area - with divided EU opinions on refugee policies, dealing with the flow of illegal refugees coming into Europe, immigrants and visa policies, especially following the implementation of the Lisbon Treaty on Tuesday.
Malmström was awarded the portfolio by Commission president José Manuel Barroso in Brussels Friday. Her nomination has to approved by the European Parliament before the new commissioner can start her new job, however.
Malmström herself says that her new post will mean constructing the new common asylum policy for the 27-country bloc, and that she would also like to establish a common crisis management policy for the whole EU.
When asked by news agency TT to describe how she will deal with the differing views on asylum policy across the EU, Malmström replied:
"By listening, by putting my case, and by resting on solid ground in the values of the European Union, which are based on the rule of law, democracy, human rights and international conventions. It's probably not a fluke that I've been given this job"
