On September 16th, the members of the European Parliament re-elected José Manuel Barroso as Commission President for another period of five years. Barroso must have been relieved, since several fractions heavily campaigned against him. In all controversy: is he the right person for the right place?

Despite the unanimous support of the European member states – Sarkozy & Merkel and co. had already given their approval earlier this summer – Barroso still had a tough job ahead of him in the Parliament. Not only were both the socialists and the greens against him, but also a substantial part of his own political group, the Christian democrats. However, except for the greens, that talked about bringing up Chris Patten as alternative candidate, no one came up with a real alternative, which means that, in the end, Barroso was the only real candidate available for the job. After a few exciting and intense weeks, the outcome is clear: 382 votes in favour, 219 votes against. Barroso probably could not care less that the Eurosceptic parties made the difference.

Barroso’s first term as Commission President was not an easy one: having to swallow a ‘no’ three times against all European Treaties is tough; handling a totally unexpected financial crisis is even harder. On top of this, the position of Commission President is not as powerful as it is often assumed. He usually finds himself in the middle of the conflicting interests of the heads of governments that want ‘less Europe’, and the European Parliament, which of course wants ‘more Europe’. Because of this tricky balance game, it is more rule than exception to have mediocre Commission Presidents than really great ones – Delors being a positive exception.

Still, it is hard to believe that another President would have reached more in the past five years. Barroso launched an ambitious climate plan and, after his initial hesitation, also took the initiative for an economical recovery plan. Furthermore, he pleaded for a stricter observation of the banks. In his second term Barroso will have a stronger position as President. It will be his last term, which means he has nothing to lose anymore and can use his authority in a more clear way. For this reason, he now has the opportunity to prove that he is more than a puppet of the big countries, too much of a promoter of the free market, a person that lacks decisiveness and charisma. He could now show that these last accusations are nonsense or not. Barroso certainly has the flair, as The Voice witnessed last year in Leuven, but let’s hope above all that he can fully develop his potential during the next five years. |