The 27 EU commissioners will meet for a working seminar, on 1 and 2 September, at the Val Duchesse castle in the South of Brussels. There will consequently not be a formal meeting of the college on 1 September. According to a Commission spokesman, this retreat aims first and foremost to «take stock of the first six months in office» of the Barroso II team, especially in the context of implementing the Lisbon Treaty. The commissioners will also review the «political issues addressed by the Commission this summer,» particularly the situation in Pakistan following the severe floods that have devastated the country for the past month and the controversial matter of the expulsion of Roma from France.

Bulgarian Commissioner Kristalina Georgieva (international cooperation, humanitarian aid and crisis response) will brief fellow commissioners on her visit to Pakistan and Luxembourg’s Commissioner Viviane Reding (justice, fundamental rights and citizenship) will discuss the analysis being conducted by the executive to determine whether the treatment of the Roma in France conforms to EU law. The last item on the agenda concerns the Commission’s «policy initiatives» for the autumn and the work programme for 2011. The seminar will begin with the discussion on the Roma, followed by Pakistan, the two «headline issues» of the day.