News Release
Outgoing European Commission President Prodi (Left) with Incoming President Barroso.
No. 118/04
July 22, 2004
PRESIDENT PRODI CONGRATULATES JOSE BARROSO ON VOTE CONFIRMING
HIM AS NEXT PRESIDENT OF THE EU COMMISSION
The President of the European Commission
Romano Prodi has congratulated
José Manuel Durão Barroso following today’s
vote in the European Parliament confirming the outgoing Portuguese Prime Minister
as Prodi’s successor.
The European Parliament backed Barroso, the unanimous choice of EU leaders, in
a 413 to 251 vote with 44 abstentions.
In a statement, President Prodi, who heads the Commission until October 31, said:
"My legacy is a Commission that has delivered on its promises. I am confident
that President Barroso will continue to unify Europe with the force of an institution
that is today able to serve the common interest in the European Union better than
ever before. The wide-ranging support he has gained from the Members of the Parliament
is the best precondition for a close cooperation between the Commission and the
Parliament. I know that President Barroso can bring Europeans even closer together."
Mr. Barroso takes office as President of the Commission on November 1. As President-Elect,
Mr. Barroso’s first task will be to assign the portfolios of the 25
EU Commissioners (one per country) who will serve in the next Commission.
(When Bulgaria and
Romania join, foreseen for 2007, the Commission will have 27 members).
In a speech
to the European Parliament yesterday, Mr. Barroso outlined his plans for the next
European Commission:
"I am determined to lead a Commission that acts as a team and combines
the very best of national traditions, diverse skills and talents; a Commission
that must adhere to the highest standards of public life. I want the next Commission
to have a higher proportion of women Commissioners than any previous Commission,
but to achieve this I will need your help. We make this clear to the Council,
which shares with me the responsibility for drawing up the list of nominees. I
will make full use of my powers under the Treaty in selecting nominee Commissioners,
in allocating portfolios at the start and during our term, and in steering the
work of the College. Underpinning all this is the importance of collegiality within
a College and of ensuring that a 25 Member College can act quickly, coherently
and effectively."
The European Commission is the politically independent institution that represents
and upholds the interests of the EU as a whole. It is the driving force within
the EU’s institutional system and has four main roles:
- to propose legislation to Parliament and the Council;
- to manage and implement EU policies and the budget;
- to enforce European law (jointly with the Court of Justice);
- to represent the European Union on the international stage,
for example by negotiating agreements between the EU and other countries.
The European Commission
plays an important role in representing and promoting the interests of the European
Union on the international stage. For example, it represents and negotiates on
behalf of the 25 EU Member States on external
trade matters and enables the EU member states to speak “with one voice” in
international forums such as the World Trade Organization. The Commission also
has the responsibility of negotiating international
agreements on behalf of the EU. One well-known example is the Cotonou
Agreement, which sets out the terms of an important aid and trade partnership
between the EU and developing
countries in Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific.
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Press Contacts:
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Anthony Gooch
202-862-9523
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Maeve O'Beirne
202-862-9549
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