EUROPEAN COMMISSION president José Manuel Barroso has promised to boost workers’ rights in a bid to win support from sceptical MEPs for his re-election for another five-year term.
In hearings at the European Parliament with the main political groups yesterday, he also pledged to create a new post of civil liberties commissioner and to lobby states to pay more into the EU budget. “I’m committed to the basic rights of workers precisely because I come from a country where these rights – the right to strike and association – did not exist,” said Mr Barroso, who was referring to his experience growing up during the Portuguese dictatorship of Antonio de Oliveira Salazar, which ended in 1974.
Mr Barroso has been strongly criticised by the Socialist and Green political groups, who accuse him of being an ultra-liberal and lacking ambition in proposing a response to the economic crisis. The Liberal group has also expressed grave reservations about supporting him in a vote at the European Parliament where he will need at least a simple majority to retain his post.
In his presentation to the Socialist group, Mr Barroso said that in his second term he would propose a new regulation to deal with some of the concerns raised by the implementation of the posted workers directive. This allows companies to employ their own staff when completing work in other EU states. Trade unions say it undermines workers’ wages and conditions and it has become a rallying call for disaffection with the EU from the left.
Mr Barroso also agreed to meet demands by the Liberals to create a new civil liberties commissioner, push for a bigger EU budget and press EU states to reconsider the establishing a single financial regulator. The concessions by Mr Barroso, who already has the support of his own political group the European People’s Party (EPP), should be enough to enable the political groups to agree to stage a vote next Wednesday. This decision is expected today by the parliament’s conference of presidents.
However, the support of the Socialist and Liberal groups is still not assured in next week’s vote.
“I personally will not vote for him,” said Martin Schultz, leader of the Socialist group, who has admitted that his group is finding it difficult to find a unified position on Mr Barroso’s candidature.
Many Socialist MEPs from Portugal, Spain and Britain are expected to vote for Mr Barroso because their governments support him. Many Green MEPs seem certain to vote against him. But with the support of the EPP, the Conservatives and possibly the Liberal group, Mr Barroso looks likely to get the simple majority he needs for a new term under the current EU treaty. If Lisbon is ratified, he would require an absolute majority of MEPs.