José Manuel Durão Barroso, President of the European Commission
(Portugal, Christian Democrat)

Background

José Manuel Durão Barroso hardly needs any introduction.  As the previous President of the Commission his re-appointment was not entirely smooth as he initially encountered strong opposition by the European Parliament (mainly in the Socialist group) who saw him as too business-friendly and right-wing. However, a lack of any viable alternative ultimately made him something of a shoo-in for a second term. Under his previous tenure as President of the Commission he managed to have the Lisbon Treaty ratified by all 27 Member States – no easy feat especially after the Constitutional Treaty was shot down in several referendums. As a result of the successful Lisbon Treaty ratification, as well as for his work on other issues including promoting the role of the EU in climate change, the 2007 Enlargement and pushing forward groundbreaking legislation such as the REACH Directive, he gained the respect – if not always the support - of EU heads of government.  Also, by promoting the role of the EU in key international issues he raised the profile of the office of Commission President and ensured the EU was more present on the world stage.  Prior to his appointment as the President of the Commission in 2004, he was the Prime Minister of Portugal.

 

Stated objectives on taking office

• To gain concrete progress on the 2020 Strategy;
• To help Europe get out of the financial crisis;
• To combat climate change;
• Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion making full use of 2010 being the European Year to Combat Poverty and Social Exclusion;
• Full implementation of the Treaty of Lisbon.

Members of the Cabinet

Johannes LAITENBERGER, Head of Cabinet
Fernando FRUTUOSO DE MELO, Deputy Head of Cabinet
António José CABRAL, Senior Adviser, EU 2020 Strategy and Economic and Monetary Affairs
Clara MARTINEZ ALBEROLA, Adviser, Justice, Fundamental Rights and Citizenship
Laurence DE RICHEMONT, Adviser, Industry and Entrepreneurship
Arianna VANNINI, Adviser, Agriculture and Rural Development
Paulo VIZEU PINHEIRO, Adviser, External Relations, EEAS
Olivier DANDOY, Member, Inter-institutional Issues and Regional Policy
Henning KLAUS, Member, Inter-institutional Issues and the Digital Agenda
Ines SERVULO CORREIA, Member, Culture
Agnieszka SKURATOWICZ, Member, EU 2020 Strategy
Hugo SOBRAL, Member, Climate Action and Energy
Michelle SUTTON, Member, Inter-institutional Issues and Internal Market and Services
Koen DOENS, Head of Service, Spokesperson

 

Main actions to date

• Directing and facilitating the negotiations between Member States on the financial situation of Greece;
• Presenting the EU 2020 Strategy to the public and Member States;
• Placing the issue of Climate Action on top of his agenda, including the creation of the new Commissioner for Climate Change.

What to expect

In his second term as EU Commission President, Barroso will be dealing with a number of priorities, such as economic growth, climate change, enlargement and EU institutional development. Although he has the benefit of experience, the challenges he now faces have undoubtedly taken on a whole new meaning in the current economic climate. Member States will be looking to him to maintain a steady hand on the EU ship as it deals with some of the biggest crises the Community has ever faced.  In his first 100 days Barroso faced much criticism for appointing an old friend as the head of the Commission’s delegation to Washington, and with the future of a European economic policy in doubt, his second term has undeniably gotten off to an eventful start.  Ironing out the inter-institutional creases with the new Lisbon Treaty rules will take up a lot of his time. Moreover, he will be increasingly linked to the success (or failure) of the new High Representative for Foreign Affairs.  These are no easy topics on his agenda, and his second tenure as President will present even more challenges than the first.