Liikanen proposed as EU replacement for Bangemann

Incoming European Union (EU) president Romano Prodi has proposed Erkki Liikanen as the new commissioner for enterprise and information society.

Liikanen, a former Finnish minister of finance and a member of the European Commission since 1995, will preside over telecommunications and information technology issues. If he is approved, he will take up the post by mid-September.

Meanwhile, his predecessor, the former European industry and telecoms commissioner, Martin Bangemann, is facing court action over his acceptance of a £700,000 per year job with Spanish telco, Telefonica.

EU ambassadors voted last week to put Bangemann's case before the court, believing his post on the telco's board represents a conflict of interests. Court action could result in Bangemann losing his pension - which is consistent with German law in these cases.

"This is the sort of politically unethical behaviour for which we never thought formal rules would be necessary," said a spokesman for the European Socialist Party. He confirmed that the party will ask Romano Prodi to regulate the appointments that commissioners can accept on leaving office.

"There are currently general provisions about behaving in an appropriate manner, but nothing that says so many months or years shall lapse before taking up a post in the private sector."

Bangemann resigned his position as commissioner two weeks ago, when he accepted the Telefonica post. He has also been suspended from duties by the EU.