Portuguese Prime Minister, Mr José Manuel Durao Barroso, will decide today whether to accept an offer to become President of the European Commission, the Portuguese Lusa news agency reported last night.
President Jorge Sampaio said last night he discussed the invitation with the centre-right leader to succeed Mr Romano Prodi.
"Durao Barroso has the consensus of leaders of the European Union and will be formally invited in the next few hours [to take the job\]" by the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, as European Union President, an official spokesman told Lusa.
EU presidency sources said: "A head of steam is building behind one candidate." The Taoiseach had earlier yesterday ruled out a move to Brussels as President of Commission. Speaking in London following talks on Northern Ireland, Mr Ahern made his clearest statement yet on the speculation about his future. "I will be working as Taoiseach in September," he said.
Government sources suggested yesterday that earlier, more ambiguous statements were designed to keep open the option of accepting the Commission post if EU leaders failed to unite around another candidate.
The Taoiseach said yesterday he was due to speak to President Jacques Chirac of France and possibly the German Chancellor, Mr Gerhard Schröder, by telephone about Mr Prodi's successor. He said he would talk with the remaining EU leaders today before deciding if he should call a summit on Tuesday to endorse a new president. "I'm as confident as I can be. I've put everyone on notice for the meeting on Tuesday night and I think at that, we will get agreement," he said on RTÉ television.
Commission favourite is a 'reformist': page 9