Brussels, 18/06/2009 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday 18 June 2009, the European Peoples' Party (EPP) called for the immediate re-appointment of José Manuel Barroso at the helm of the European Commission. Our candidate is Mr Barroso and we want a consensus decision from the European Council for him to be given a second term in office, explained Wilfried Martens, chair of the EPP, calling for everyone to be linked in to this political decision to enable prior consultation with the European Parliament to begin, after which the European Council can turn the agreement into a formal decision, he added, speaking after a mini EPP summit. He said the EP could then organise a debate and a vote on Barroso's appointment in July under the Nice Treaty.
No decisions have yet been taken about the EPP candidate for President of the European Parliament. The decision will be in the hands of the EPP Group at the EP, once it has been formally set up on 23 June 2009. The decision will be taken by consensus, or following a vote between the two current candidates: Italy's Mario Mauro (People of Freedom) and Poland's Jerzy Buzek (Civic Platform). If the decision for an EPP representative to be the president of the EP for two and a half years depends on negotiations with another political grouping, most of the EPP is reported to want an EPP president to take over immediately from Hans-Gert Pöttering. If this were to happen, a decision would have to be taken in the very near future, warned Martens (A.B./transl.fl)