European Commissioner for Trade

European Commissioner for Trade
Incumbent Cecilia Malmström since 1 November 2014
Appointer	European Parliament
Term length	Five years
Inaugural holder	Jean Rey
Formation	1958
Salary	€19,909.89 per month
Website	European Commission

The European Commissioner for Trade (sometimes referred to as the EU Trade Commissioner) is the member of the European Commission responsible for the European Union's (EU) common commercial policy (governing international trade). The portfolio has been held by Cecilia Malmström (Sweden – FP / ALDE) since November 2014.

The Commissioner heads up the Directorate-General for Trade in defining the commercial policy of the EU, which has been exclusively under the EU's mandate since the EEC's Rome Treaty in 1957. Due to the size of the European economy, being the world's largest market and having a huge slice of world trade, this position can be very important in dealing with other world economic powers such as China or the United States. Former Commissioner Leon Brittan commented that “Frankly, it is more important than most [national] cabinet jobs”.

The Commissioner defines the trade interests of the EU and negotiates bilateral, regional or multilateral agreements with third countries. She monitors the implementation of such agreements and deals with any unfair practices, devises and monitors internal and external policies concerning international trade, ensures consistency in EU external policies and provides up-to-date public and industrial economic information.

The European Union (although, due to the legal structure of the EU, it was known as the European Communities at the WTO until 1 December 2009) is a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in its own right since the WTO was founded on 1 January 1995, alongside its member states. The EU forms its own customs union with a common external tariff and commercial (external trade) policy: this means that at the WTO the EU operates as a single actor with the European Commission representing the EU.