Austrian Chancellor Proposes to Cut Number of EU Commissioners From 28 to 18

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz on Tuesday proposed in an interview with Germany’s Die Welt newspaper to cut the number of the European Union commissioners from 28 to 18 people in order to reduce administrative spending.

"I believe that if Europe wants to save money, Brussels should set a good example and cut administrative spending. … If we cut the number of [EU] commissioners from current 28 to 18 basing on fair rotation principle, it will lead not only to saving but will also make the European Commission much more effective and focused," Kurz told Die Welt.

The Austrian chancellor also said that the European Parliament should remain in one out of current two European cities – Brussels or Strasbourg.

"It is pointless to have two seats for the one European parliament, namely in Brussels and Strasbourg. I advocate the idea that it should remain in only one of the cities," he added.

The 28 commissioners, one of each EU country, represent European Commission’s political leadership and are assigned for specific policy areas of the bloc. They are appointed for a five-year term.

According to the newspaper, the European Parliament meets once a month from Monday to Thursday in Strasbourg, but during the rest of the month, institution’s members work in Brussels. The parliament costs the EU about 200 million euros ($234 million) annually.

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The interview was published ahead of Austria’s presidency in the Council of the European Union, bloc’s legislative institution, which will begin on July 1 this year.