Van Miert heads EC antitrust unit. (Karel Van Miert) (International Logistics)

Abel Matutes of Spain gets transport portfolio.

Karel Van Miert, known to transportation operators as someone who understands their business, left his post as the European Commission's Transport Commissioner in January to take on new duties as commissioner responsible for competition.

The move was part of a broad pre-Christmas reshuffling of the commission portfolio shared by 16 EC commissioners and overseen by EC president Jacques Delors.

Abel Matutes of Spain took over as Commissioner of Transport while Christiane Scrivener of France remains as Commissioner of Customs and Indirect Taxation.

Sir Leon Brittan, formerly responsible for competition, is now in charge of the community's external economic affairs and commercial policy, which is considered a significant posting.

The assignments last for four years.

For a few days after news of the new assignments …