Barroso - ECP

09 July, 2009 10:00:00

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Barroso's appointment must be approved by the European Parliament. The vote on his appointment may not come until September.

The European Union leaders on Thursday officially nominated Jose Manuel Barroso for a second five-year term as European Commission President.

"The (European) Council, in the composition of heads of state or government, adopted today a decision nominating Mr. Jose Manuel Durao Barroso as the person the Council intends to appoint as president of the commission for the period from Nov. 1, 2009 to Oct. 31, 2014 ", the EU leaders said in a statement.

Barroso previously used both his mother's and father's surname, following the Portuguese custom and was known back home as Jose Manuel Durao Barroso. When he moved to Brussels in 2004, he decided that was too much of a mouthful for his new international audience and dropped the Durao.

The EU leaders gave their unanimous political backing to Barroso for a second term at their summit in June. Thursday's formal decision intended to send a clearer signal to the European Parliament, where conservative Barroso has faced opposition particularly from the socialist group, the second largest political force in the house.

Barroso, currently the only candidate, enjoyed the backing of the center-right political group, the biggest political force in the European Parliament, but it does not have a majority.

Barroso's appointment must be approved by the European Parliament. The vote on his appointment may not come until September.

Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt, whose country holds the rotating EU presidency, urged an early vote in the European Parliament.

"The (European) Council has taken its responsibility for completing the selection of a commission president ". Reinfeldt said in a statement, adding that "I hope that we in Europe can move forward as soon as possible to resolve the important issues we have before us, such as the climate and financial crisis ".

Barroso, 53, has served as the European Commission president since November 2004 and his term expires in October.