Brussels, 14/07/2004 (Agence Europe) - Hans-Gert Poettering, EPP President, rolled out the red carpet to welcome the candidate to the Commission presidency, José Manuel Durao Barroso, on Wednesday. Opening the candidate's hearing, he gave him a “warm welcome” to applause, trusting that after the “road strewn with obstacles” preceding his designation in Council, José Manuel Barroso will be invested by the European Parliament on 22 July. MEPs welcomed the candidate from their political family one after the other, then focusing largely on the composition of the future Commission, reduction of red tape or, on the part of the MEPs from the new Member States, maintenance of the cohesion policy.
By way of introduction, José Manuel Durao Barroso took up the main lines of the speech delivered the day before and that same day before other political groups. He mainly urged for the Community method to be kept in place and for the formation of a “strong” Commission that reflects the different national and political sensitivities. “I see the Commission as an honest broker”, who takes on independent mediation in an increasingly complicated system, he explained. He repeated that he will not be “ideological” in this task. Nonetheless, he specified, “I plan to work with all the political families but I shall not forget that I am a member of this family (EPP)”.
If his appointment is confirmed, José Manuel Durao Barroso, intends to call on Member States to send him a list of the best candidates for Commissioner and to compose a College of Commissioners that reflects European political diversity. He assured that he will ensure gender equality. On the other hand, he did not really answer those who, like Austrian national Paul Rubig or German Werner Langen, asked him about the need for a “super Commissioner” for the economy or a Christian Democrat vice-president.
At the economic level, he said he supported market liberalisation with a social dimension, as, he repeated, if the European social model is brought into doubt, it is a whole chapter of the Treaty that is denied. “The Lisbon process is based on competitiveness but also on the social, environmental and sustainable development issues”, he insisted.
Answering questions by Ingo Friedrich of Germany and Othmar Karas of Austria in particular and by British Conservative John Bowis, on what he plans to do to cut back bureaucracy or ensure respect of the principle of subsidiarity, the candidate simply said that he will pursue the process of simplification begun by his predecessor. “I cannot give a concrete response” on implementation of the Lisbon process on regulation before having received the new report by Wim Kok, he commented.
José Manuel Durao Barroso fully agreed with the elected representatives of the new Member States, mainly assuring that he would defend the proposals of the Prodi Commission's financial perspectives. He confirmed to Csaba Ory of Hungary that, in his view, it is pointless to close the labour market as the experience of Portugal has shown that, after a short time, EU Member States become lands of immigration rather than emigration. Those who would have liked a change of direction in agricultural matters have, on the other hand, received a blunt refusal. It will be very difficult to change the balance obtained within the Council and to change the amounts, he commented.
Spanish national José Ignacio Salafranca asked him to give details about what he plans to do to ensure that the relationship between the EU and the United States is balanced, mainly as far as the death penalty, the Kyoto Protocol and the International Criminal Court are concerned. The candidate remained general, repeating that he hopes there will be a partnership relationship with a country that shares the values of Europe but on a balanced and reciprocal basis.