Barroso seeks second term in office

The president of the European Commission threw his hat into the ring for a second term in office today – and national government lobbying for top jobs in his new team has already begun.

In the absence of any credible rival candidate so far, Jose Manuel Barroso’s bid to stay on is widely expected to win approval at an EU summit late this month.

Most centre-right EU leaders have already signalled support for the former conservative Portuguese prime minister, as have at least three centre-left leaders, including Gordon Brown.

And the endorsement Mr Barroso needs from MEPs in July is a near certainty thanks to a euro-election result confirming a centre-right majority in the European Parliament.

But even before announcing his formal bid for a second term in the top Commission job, Mr Barroso was being courted by various government leaders and ambassadors about bagging the best portfolios in the president’s new team of Commissioners – one per member state.

Not all of the portfolios on offer could be described as prestigious: in Mr Barroso’s current administration, the short straw goes to Romanian Leonard Orban, the Commissioner for “Multilingualism”.

Star prize goes to the Netherlands, whose Neelie Kroes has the most powerful dossier as Competition Commissioner, ruling over national state aid schemes and penalising companies breaching EU fair competition laws.

Neil Kinnock was once Transport Commissioner, and than a Commission Vice-President. More recently Lord Mandelson was EU Trade Commissioner, until he departed abruptly last autumn. That job is now done by Baroness Cathy Ashton, but there is no guarantee that Britain will keep such a mighty portfolio – or that Baroness Ashton will keep her job as a Commissioner at all – if and when Mr Barroso is reconfirmed as president.

“There are no guarantees about anything” said one Commission insider. “Mr Barroso is not promising member states good Commission portfolios in exchange for their endorsement of his candidacy.”

In fact Mr Barroso went further today, making his acceptance of the job for another five years conditional on EU leaders agreeing to the Commission’s plans for reviving economies, creating jobs, tackling climate change and establishing green, sustainable growth.

Buoyed by the lack of opposition, he said he would be consulting with EU leaders on his political programme, and added: “On the basis of these consultations, I will assess whether my ambition for Europe is matched by the ambition of the member states and the European Parliament and make my final decision (on accepting the job he is applying for) accordingly.”

That leaves little room for Ireland to insist on a decent Commission dossier in exchange for working to secure a “yes” vote in the next Irish referendum on the Lisbon Treaty, likely in October.

It leaves little bargaining room for the French, who were furious when Mr Barroso “dumped” the Transport portfolio on Paris five years ago.

And there are no promises that “big” EU countries will secure “big” portfolios.

Besides, argue Mr Barroso’s aides, EU Commissioners are not representing their own countries when they are appointed: “They take an oath to act impartially, on behalf of the EU as a whole, in whatever job they hold, although their knowledge of their own country, and access to their national leadership, is obviously valuable,” explained a Commission official.

So, has Gordon Brown been bending Mr Barroso’s ear about the next British Commissioner and portfolio?

“Mr Barroso and Mr Brown are in regular contact,” was all a source close to the Barroso camp would say.

It is no secret, though, that Baroness Ashton’s chances of staying on as a Commissioner in the new team are boosted because she is a woman: Mr Barroso likes “gender balance”.

On the other hand, Mr Brown is rumoured to have promised the Commissionership to Geoff Hoon, recently departed from the cabinet.

“EU leaders can nominate who they like” said the source. “But Mr Barroso will decide what portfolio they get. Over the summer, if his candidacy is confirmed, Mr Barroso will look at the nominees, look at the various portfolios, and match the best person to the most appropriate job”.