Atlantic Community:.org/EU-Digest: "An Opponent to Barroso Would Reduce EU's Democratic Deficit" - by Marek Kubista

Jose Manuel Durao Barroso

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"An Opponent to Barroso Would Reduce EU's Democratic Deficit" - by Marek Kubista

The European elections are fast approaching, yet there is little suspense in the air. Perhaps that’s because the outcome is pre-determined: the PPE will win and Jose Manuel Durao Barroso will be reappointed. In April, the left will be given a final chance to decide on a candidate and strengthen European democracy. The deal had been brokered three months before the actual elections: Barroso will stay in Brussels for another 5 years. During the European Council Summit on March 19, the French, German and Italian governments officially expressed their support to his reappointment. The British, Portuguese and Spanish governments did so months ago. What is striking is that leaders like Sarkozy showed little enthusiasm for the idea, but no other “rightist” candidate was acceptable to Member States.

This is surprising as Barroso's policy during his first term in office was one of the worst ever to be carried out from a European Commission President. Under his mandate, three different countries rejected both the Constitutional Treaty and the Lisbon Treaty. He has without doubt failed to justify and promote a new project for European citizens. Indeed, the few significant projects which he endorsed, like the energy-climate package, proved limited when adopted. Barroso's refusal to challenge Member States reveals the prioritizing of personal ambition over serving the European Commission's mission

Note EU-Digest: To some Mr. Barroso(53) never seems to show any form of charisma and appears more like a loyal civil servant trying to avoid controversy. On the other hand he has quite an interesting background. Barroso was the Prime Minister of Portugal from April 6, 2002 until the 29th of June 2004, before he took the Presidential position in the EU Commission from the previous president Italian Romano Prodi. During his tenure in Portugal as PM, Barroso supported the US war in Iraq which provoked much protest within the local society and government. Barroso became active in politics in 1974 when he joined the Carnation Revolution (25 April 1974) and has been a member of the Social Democratic Party since 1980. Barroso also was the Minister of Foreign Affairs in Portugal from 1992 to 1995. In the year 1999 Barroso was elected president of the Social Democratic Party. Barroso became a member of the European Movement in 1991, a result of his interest in the EU, and prior to that he founded the University Association for European studies in 1979. Barroso graduated from the University of Lisbon with a degree in Law and received an MSC in Economic and Social Sciences at the University of Geneva in Switzerland.