Facing opposition

Barroso is the sole candidate for the top EU post of commission president, who is appointed not elected, but support from many new faces in the parliament is by no means guaranteed.

The current parliament, which is the EU's legislative arm, was elected in June and could hold Barroso to task over criticism that his commission reacted slowly to the financial crisis last year.

Opposition could also come from the Greens and the Socialists, who have been at the forefront of efforts to have the conservative Barroso replaced, and have demanded concessions in return for their support.

At a press conference Thursday, Barroso outlined his policy goals in an effort to appease the power players in the European Parliament.

"The next commission needs to maintain the momentum towards a low emission economy, and in particular towards decarbonizing our electricity supply and the transport sector - all transport," he said.

Euro economy pledges

Barroso promised parliamentarians he would oversee measures to tackle unemployment in the 27-nation bloc, as well as a strategy for exiting the financial crisis.

"The priority now is to continue to sustain demand and stem the rise in unemployment," he said, also commenting on the importance of "keeping interest rates low, and using our state aid rules to support governments in their efforts to revitalize the economy without adverse effects on other (EU) member states.

"It is too early to withdraw these stimulus and support measures to the economy and the financial sector, but an exit strategy must be prepared," he added.

Barroso said "enhanced coordination" would be central to any such exit strategy, and that this could come through the Lisbon Treaty, which could come into force as early as next year if ratified by the last four EU states yet to do so - Germany, Ireland, Poland and the Czech Republic.

The commission chief said the treaty, which is meant to reform EU foreign and internal decision-making, would "strengthen the convergence of objectives and the coherence of the effects of economic policy, particularly in the euro area."

Parliament has from Sept. 14-17 to vote on Barroso's second five-year tenure. He is due to outline his program proposal for another term to parliamentary groups on Sept. 8-9.

dfm/dpa/AFP
Editor: Nancy Isenson