EU: The incoming Commission president, Mr José Manuel Barroso, will address the European Parliament this morning in an eleventh hour attempt to persuade MEPs to endorse his Commission team, writes Denis Staunton in Strasbourg
Parliamentary sources in Strasbourg suggested last night that Mr Barroso does not yet have sufficient support to guarantee victory when MEPs vote on the Commission tomorrow. Fewer than 310 of the 732 MEPs are certain to vote for the new Commission, with more than 320 likely to vote against.
Mr Barroso is expected to give MEPs more details about his plan to chair a Commission working group on fundamental rights and non-discrimination, a proposal aimed at appeasing opposition to the appointment of Mr Rocco Buttiglione as justice and home affairs commissioner. It was also suggested that he might promise to introduce an anti-discrimination directive to oblige national governments to take more action to protect minorities.
The leader of the Liberal group, Mr Graham Watson, said last night that an "action plan" against discrimination could persuade some of his members to vote in favour of the Commission. "There may be things he can do short of moving Mr Buttiglione which will convince us that this Commission is committed to the active promotion of fundamental rights in the European Union," he said.
Mr Barroso needs the support of most of the 88 Liberals if he is to win tomorrow's vote but a meeting of Liberal MEPs yesterday suggested that most are determined to vote against the Commission. German, French, Italian and British Liberals were inclined to vote against the Commission, with Danish and Polish Liberals - and Mr Watson - inclined to vote in favour.
Sources within the 200-strong Socialist group predicted that all but about 30 of their MEPs would vote against the Commission. A Socialist official said that the pressure to support the Commission expected from governments in Germany, Britain and Spain had failed to materialise.
Mr Barroso can depend on the support of almost all the 268 members of the European People's Party, which includes Fine Gael and the 27 members of the Union for a Europe of Nations, which includes Fianna Fáil. About 15 Liberals are expected to vote in favour of the new Commission.