Strasbourg, 16/09/2009 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday 16 September in Strasbourg, the European Parliament put its trust in José Manuel Barroso as president of the European Commission for a further five years. Out of 718 votes cast, 382 MEPs voted for extending his mandate, 219 voted against and 117 abstained.
Mr Barroso thanked MEPs after the vote and said that “it is a great honour to have received this trust”. He added that this is the “sign of Parliament agreeing to the ambitious programme I presented for the next five years”. He promised to work with all the different political groups that support this programme for a “Europe of freedom and solidarity” and that “begin this exciting journey with me towards a united Europe”. Barroso also thanked the Portuguese who had supported him, including President Cavaco Silva.
MEPs' hopes and concerns
On Tuesday, José Manuel Barroso defended his candidacy for almost four hours and on two occasions replied to the many interventions made by MEPs. He knew that EPP support for him was already assured - confirmed by his fellow Portuguese country man, Carlos Coelho (who praised his “firmness with governments”), by Gunnar Hökmark from Sweden (who, in the current situation saw no alternative to Mr Barroso), by Markus Ferber from Germany (who called on him to place more emphasis on agriculture and to tell the commissioner with this remit that “her model is not right”); by Simon Busuttil from Malta (who has high hopes about security and justice), by Marian Marinescu from Romania (who called for greater effort in the energy arena) and by Jaime Mayor Oreja (who welcomed Mr Barroso's “European ambitions”).
Andrew Duff (ALDE, United Kingdom), welcomed the support given by President Barroso to the Lisbon Treaty and expressed his hope that in a future budgetary crisis, which he said was already in the offing, Mr Barroso would be “strongly on the side of the Parliament and not the national treasuries”.
Adrian Severin (Romania) speaking on behalf of the S&D Group, said that governments had perhaps chosen him “not for his strength but for what they take to be his weakness”. Severin hoped, nonetheless, that he could prove that “he is one of us and not one of them”. David Sassoli (Italy) expressed his concern about the prospect of a separation between the legal and immigration dossiers, which he said did not bode well. Juan Fernando Lopez Aguilar from Spain said they needed a “new Commission for a new era” and called for a genuine social policy. The Portuguese Socialist, Edite Estrela, expressed her support for a new Barroso presidency but warned that “this is not a blank cheque but an investment” and said that they would be watching out closely.
Greek Green, Michalis Tremopoulos, called for reassurances about the concept of flexicurity. He said that in principle, it was very good but if, for example, working part-time is not chosen freely but instead imposed, it effectively becomes “partial unemployment”.
The next Commission will fight to defend the general interest
In his replies, Barroso confirmed the Commission's support for the social market economy and insisted that this idea is not the preserve of any political family but rather, the creation of Europe as a whole. He also said that the Commission's objectives regarding environmental protection should not be doubted by anyone. The same applied to the Commission's determination to fight for human rights. Mr Barroso said: “When I spoke to Mr Putin, I asked him why we have still not found the assassins of Russian journalists, when I talk with the Chinese I insist on respecting liberties, when I talk to the Japanese I ask why there have been executions…” Questioned by Hélène Flautre about the Guantanamo Bay prison, Barroso said that he had been among the first to ask for it to be closed down. Mr Barroso affirmed that “I would have preferred to have the support of the main political families but it is your choice”, adding, “Don't weaken me in front of the Council, leave me the benefit of the doubt”. He concluded that “I am not anyone's secretary general, I am not a technocrat, I have been a parliamentarian like you” and then provided an assurance that the European Commission would be independent and seek to defend the general interest. (L.G./O.J/transl.rh)