Michel Barnier, the EU internal markets commissioner, has today appointed the members of his “high-level expert group” to look into possible reforms in the European banking sector. According to the commission, the members have been appointed in a personal capacity, and chosen on the basis of their technical expertise and professional background. Financial News profiles the team.

Erkki Liikanen, chairman Elected to the Finnish parliament in 1972 at the age of only 21, Liikanen is currently governor of the Bank of Finland, a position he has held since 2004. As chairman, Liikanen will steer the group to deliver a report by the end of summer 2012, according to the commission. Liikanen this month warned in an interview with the Financial Times Deutschland that the ECB needed to think about how to discontinue its funding programme, which has seen billions pumped into European banks.