Barroso's rapid re-appointment suffers setback

Brussels - European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso's chances of a rapid re-appointment as head of the European Union's executive suffered a setback Wednesday after the liberal group in the European Parliament sided with the socialists in opposing a July 15 vote on the issue. Addressing reporters, the new head of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE), former Belgian prime minister Guy Verhofstadt, said Barroso's re-appointment is a process 'that requires careful attention.' 'We have to talk about the substance first,' Verhofstadt said, effectively ruling out the possibility of a vote taking place before the parliament's summer recess. European Union heads of state and government unanimously backed Barroso for a second five-year term during last month's summit in Brussels. However, Barroso also requires the support of a majority in the European Parliament. While the biggest group in the parliament, the conservative Group of the European People's Party (EPP), is ready to back the former Portuguese premier, the second-largest formation, the left-of-centre Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (PASD), is against him. And ALDE officials said Wednesday it remained unclear whether the EPP could muster a majority during this month's planned meeting, meaning the group would be unlikely to push for an early vote. In a statement, PASD leader Martin Schulz said the ALDE position represented a victory for the anti-Barroso front. 'EU ministers, the Parliament's right wing and Mr Barroso himself made a serious misjudgement when they assumed that a vote could be rushed through this month,' Schulz said. 'The parliament is not a rubber stamp,' Schulz said, and the EPP needs the support 'from us and from other pro-European forces.' Barroso, 53, has headed the EU's executive since 2004. The Brussels-based commission is charged with drafting new EU legislation and making sure that member states obey current laws. A decision on his re-appointment now looks set to be delayed until September.