EU: Mr José Manuel Barroso's revised European Commission looks certain to win the approval of MEPs tomorrow after three new nominees sailed through parliamentary confirmation hearings in Strasbourg without difficulty, writes Denis Staunton in Strasbourg
The biggest three political groups in the European Parliament - the centre-right European People's Party (EPP), the Socialists and the Liberals - indicated yesterday that they would support the new Commission in tomorrow's vote.
The Greens and the left-wing GUE are expected to vote against the new team, but Mr Barroso can expect to win the vote with a substantial majority.
The Civil Liberties Committee, which rejected Italy's first nominee, Mr Rocco Buttiglione, has given its backing to his successor, Italy's outgoing foreign minister, Mr Franco Frattini. Latvia's new nominee, Mr Andris Piebalgs, who is due to take over the Energy portfolio, impressed the Industry, Research and Energy Committee with a polished performance in Latvian, English and German.
The Hungarian nominee, Mr Laszlo Kovacs, who failed to impress MEPs when he was earmarked for the Energy post, made a better impression in yesterday's hearing for the Taxation portfolio.
Mr Kovacs said he would not propose legislation to harmonise corporate tax rates in the EU, adding that companies were not moving to eastern Europe primarily on account of lower tax rates.
"For the time being I don't see any community action on corporate tax rates. This should be left to the decision of each member-state," he said.
Mr Kovacs, a former communist who was Hungary's deputy foreign minister in 1989, rejected conservative charges that he had enjoyed links with the regime's secret services.
"In my background there is nothing to hide and nothing to be ashamed of . . . Before the transition in Hungary and indeed in eastern Europe, yes, I was a member of the single party in Hungary . . . But I was not a member of the Workers' Militia. I had no relations with any of the secret services . . . I was not involved in domestic politics but exclusively in international relations," he said.
The EPP, which had pressed for Mr Kovacs to be sacked from the Commission, said yesterday that, although it retained reservations about his appointment, the group would support the new Commission team.
"While we have significant reservations, we do not believe that these should override the need to endorse the Commission as a whole," it said.
If approved, the Commission will take office next Monday.