EU: The European Parliament has given a broad welcome to Mr José Manuel Barroso's revised Commission team, signalling that the new line-up will be approved with a comfortable majority today. Leaders of the three biggest political groups said most of their members would vote for the Commission three weeks after Mr Barroso withdrew his original team from consideration, writes Denis Staunton in Strasbourg
He told MEPs yesterday that the crisis over his Commission, sparked by controversy over the nomination of Mr Rocco Buttiglione as Justice and Home Affairs Commissioner, had shown European democracy in action.
"I have listened to your concerns. You have stressed the need to have a strong and competent Commission; a Commission for all Europeans. And in response I have made what I believe to be sensible and necessary changes, without requiring a wholesale revision of my proposed team," he said.
Mr Barroso said he remained committed to chairing a new group of Commissioners responsible for fundamental rights and combating discrimination, including discrimination against lesbians and gays.
The incoming Commission President promised to co-operate closely with parliament but said it was now urgent that the European institutions got down to work.
"It is time to shift the focus away from who we are and where we have come from, to where we want to go. We must implement a positive agenda for change," he said.
The leader of the centre-right European People's Party Mr Hans-Gert Poettering, said his group would support the new Commission and Socialist leader Mr Martin Schulz said he expected 150 of his group's 200 MEPs to back the new team.
Mr Schulz told Mr Barroso that MEPs expected the new Commission to take its views into account and warned that the President could not command a majority in the parliament without Socialist support.
"If you don't take this on board, remember 2004 - because the whole thing could repeat itself," Mr Schulz said.