Brussels, 09/09/2009 (Agence Europe) - The leader of the Liberal group in the European Parliament (ALDE), Guy Verhofstadt said on Wednesday that José Manuel Barroso had provided “important clarification” on three “key issues” which, if confirmed next week during the plenary session debate in Strasbourg, would allow the Liberals to support the re-appointment of the Commission President for a second term of office. At the hearing with ALDE MEPs, Barroso promised that, in the new Commission, he would set up a specific portfolio on fundamental rights and civil liberties, just as the Liberals had called for, Verhofstadt told press. Secondly, at the hearing, Barroso indicated his willingness to bring forward, “within three years”, new ideas for putting in place a single European financial supervisory system. Thirdly, Verhofstadt went on, the Commission President promised to fight hard in the next round of negotiations on the financial perspectives after 2014 to ensure that the EU had its own resources. “All these points are essential for us and will be taken into account” next Tuesday, when the group settles its position for the vote on 16 September. “We are moving in the right direction, although not all Liberal demands have yet been fully met,” Verhofstadt said. The group is calling on Barroso to explicitly confirm these commitments in his speech to the plenary session on 15 September. (H.B./transl.rt)