The EU's straight-shooting trade chief

WHILE pursuing her degree in political science at Gothenburg University in Sweden in the early 1990s, the European Union's Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström financed her studies by working as a psychiatric nurse for three years.

"It was very good preparation for the world of politics," she said.

How so?

"Well, I have met all kinds of people. Nothing really surprises me."

Ms Malmström, 49, has been in politics since she was in university, as an activist in Sweden's Liberal party. In 1999, at the age of 31, she was elected to the European Parliament, where she served till 2006.

After spending four years as Sweden's Minister for European Affairs, she returned to Brussels to become the EU's Commission…