Parlementsleden verdelen topbanen in nieuw Euopees parlement (en)

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - German centre-right MEP Herbert Reul is being tipped to chair the EU parliament's industry committee, as political groups haggle over jobs following last month's elections.

The industry appointment would ring alarm bells in Brussels pro-green community, with Mr Reul noted for his scepticism on the human impact on global warming.

"Given the available scientific evidence and the ongoing discussion, we should be careful to point only to one cause for climate change," Mr Reul told this website.

The industry committee is the EU assembly's most powerful law-making unit. But Mr Reul's job is not yet a done deal, with fellow German conservative Christian Ehler also making a strong bid for the post as talks continue ahead of the 14 July plenary session.

The parliament distributes appointments on the basis of the "d'Hondt" system, named after a Belgian mathematician. The method gives first choice of the best committees to the largest political groups and to the largest national delegations within the groups.

The centre-right EPP group has also chosen the prestigious foreign affairs committee, the EU budget unit, the legal affairs committee, culture and education, fisheries, regional development and a sub-committee on security and defence.

As things stand on Thursday (9 July), Italian MEP Mario Mauro is to get foreign affairs as a consolation prize for backing out of the parliament president race.

Frenchman Alain Lamassoure, a former aide of French president Nicolas Sarkozy, is to run the EU budget cell. Germany's Klaus-Heiner Lehne is to run legal affairs and fellow German Doris Pack may get culture.

Reul vs. Leinen?

The centre-left PES group, the second largest faction, is currently plumping for the heavyweight environment committee, agriculture, constitutional affairs, employment, transport, civil liberties and a sub-committee on human rights.

Mr Reul's potential antagonist on environment is shaping up to be Germany's Jo Leinen, a lawyer who took part in anti-nuclear industry protests in the 1980s and who recently chaired the constitutional affairs committee. Mr Leinen may choose to stick to constitutional affairs, however.

Frenchwoman Pervenche Beres is to get employment. Brit Brian Simpson is to chair transport and Spain's Juan Lopez Aguilar is to run civil liberties.

The socialists' stewardship of the civil liberties and human rights units, previously run by the liberal and green groups, could see muted criticism of human rights abuses in Russia. PES voted against a recent parliament resolution to equate Communist and Nazi crimes in a European rememberance day.

Free-market supporters

The third largest group, the liberal and pro-free markets ALDE faction, has been left with a financial portfolio.

The economic and monetary affairs committee is to go to British liberal Sharon Bowles and the temporary sub-committee on the financial crisis is to be chaired by German liberal Wolf Klinz. ALDE is also tipped to run the budgetary control unit, which oversees EU spending.

The new eurosceptic group spearheaded by the British Conservative party has scooped the influential internal market and consumer affairs cell and the more marginal petitions committee.

The Green group (France's Eva Joly) is to take the development committee, leaving women's rights to the far-left GUE faction.

Two other parliament heavy-hitters are to be rewarded with the leadership of senior international delegations. German conservative Elmar Brok may take over as head of the US delegation, while former ALDE leader Graham Watson could get to chair China missions.

Committee members will be decided next week during the parliament's first plenary session. The committees will vote on their presidents the week after.