b'7. The EU Trade Commissioner in action 7.1. European Commissioners Originally, the larger member states hadCommissioners are appointed in the first two Commissioners each, while smallerinstance on the basis of nationality and then states had just one. Following enlargementgender. Ability comes a long way behind. in 2004, that has changed. Now, each of the 27 member states, regardless of size,Nobody (including the author) ever is allocated just one Commissioner. Forquestioned the capability of the 2009- example, Malta, with a population of 300,0002014 Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht.about the same as a London borough (Although he certainly did not and does not appoints its own Commissioner, just theagree with everything that the Commissioner same as the UK did. The men and womendid.) The 2014-2019 Commissioner Cecilia appointed are not appointed on the basisMalmstrm is, however, rather different. One that they are the 27 most capable people inkey example is set out below.Europe who want the jobfar from it.7.2. Case Study: Steel dumping The UK steel industry has come under threat of being wiped out by cheap Chinese steel imports priced lower than their cost of productionthis is commonly known as dumping. On 22 October 2015, with the crisis in full swingSSI in Teesside had already cut 2,200 jobs and Tata Steel, in Scunthorpe and two sites in Scotland, had cut a further 1,200 jobsthe author, as EFDD Group Coordinator on the International Trade Committee of the European Parliament, wrote a letter to EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrm requesting the urgent imposition of anti-dumpingtariffs against Chinese steel imports entering the EU . fully proportionate to be able to safeguard the UK steel industry (as well as the steel industry in other EU member states) from further damage. The full letter is reprinted as Appendix 15.101'