European Commissioner For The Environment - Former Commissioners

Former Commissioners

Carlo Ripa di Meana was appointed Environment Commissioner in 1990 which coincided with increased public interest and awareness in environmental issues. Ripa di Meana’s appointment took place at the same time as that of a new Directorate-General, Brinkhorst. They both tried to change the image of DG XI (now DG Environment) in charge of environmental issues and make it a more mainstream actor. According to Schön-Quinlivan the then President of the Commission, Jacques Delors, did not appreciate Ripa di Meana’s political style and their relationship became strained. Ripa di Meana was eventually replaced by Karel Van Miert for a period of six months until a full-time replacement could be found. Yet Van Miert supported what had been done before him and described environmental policy as ‘one of our most successful policies, and one of the best understood’.

Between 1993 and 1995, a Greek Commissioner, Yannis Paleokrassas, took over. Despite making it clear that he believed in the imperative of environmental issues, he did not have a significant public impact. Between 1995 and 2005, two women were appointed as environmental Commissioners, Ritt Bjerregaard and then Margot Wallström. Wallström in particular was a very active Commissioner; she was central in concluding the ratification process of the Kyoto Protocol. In 2005, the environmental portfolio went back to a Greek Commissioner, Stavros Dimas, who, like Paleokrassas, maintained a low profile.