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UK’s post-Brexit downgrade on display this week

Brussels - Prime Minister Theresa May insists that Britain will be a "strong player and a strong voice" in the European Union (EU) for as long as it remains a member, yet signs of the UK’s waning EU clout will be on full display this week.

Julian King, the UK’s new appointee to the European Commission in Brussels, will appear on Monday at a confirmation hearing on his designated role as EU counter-terrorism chief - a slim, freshly created portfolio that’s being squeezed between existing commissioners.

King, plucked from Paris where he was UK ambassador, fills a national spot vacated by Jonathan Hill, who held the heavyweight post of EU financial-services commissioner.

Hill resigned after the June referendum decision to quit the EU, signalling Brexit made it impossible for him to remain the European regulator in charge of banking centres including London.

Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker gave Hill’s responsibilities to the EU commissioner from Latvia in charge of the euro and carved out a special job for King.

All European commissioners are equal, but some are more equal than others. That’s because the power of the portfolios differs widely depending on the extent of the commission’s regulatory reach over EU nations.

Suffice it to say that anti-terrorism policy, long a bastion of national sovereignty, isn’t close to being a top-tier EU responsibility.

King’s confirmation hearing will take place in the civil-liberties committee of the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, on September 12 from 7 p.m. until 10 p.m. Don’t assume it’ll be all smooth sailing for King no matter how well briefed he is.

The EU Parliament has a habit of seeking the scalp of a designated commissioner or two as a way to flex political muscle.

Juncker’s announcement of the job for King - it’s officially called "commissioner for the security union" - prompted rumblings from some European lawmakers that he was unsuitable for the post because it touches on EU home-affairs policy, an area where Britain has had an opt-out.

State of the union

Juncker himself takes centre stage two days later in the EU Parliament for his annual "State of the Union" speech. The title borrows from US presidential custom in a bid to convey gravitas on the part of the commission leader, who in reality has nowhere near the heft of America’s chief executive.

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