European Parliament vote on Barroso unlikely before September

Jul 6, 2009, 17:36 GMT

Stockholm - A European Parliament vote on Jose Manuel Barroso, who is vying for a second term as president of the executive European Commission, is unlikely until September, leaders of the European Parliament said Monday during a visit to Sweden.

Sweden last week took over the rotating presidency of the European Union, and has expressed hopes for an early election of Barroso.

'Hopefully it will be possible to elect a president of the Commission in September,' outgoing European Parliament President Hans-Gert Poettering told a joint news conference with Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt.

'We don't see a majority now for the election of the president in July,' Poettering said, adding that 'the position of some groups has changed' since the Eurpean Parliament was elected last month.

On July 15, Reinfeldt is scheduled to visit the newly elected European Parliament to present the Swedish EU presidency's agenda.

The programme is topped by efforts to tackle growing unemployment in the wake of the financial crisis and secure an international climate treaty at a UN conference in Denmark in December.

Reinfeldt has called for 'stable, well-working institutions.'

Poettering said he welcomed and backed the Swedish programme.

Martin Schulz, leader of the second-largest group in parliament, the European Socialists (PSE), told reporters that his impression 'after listening to other group leaders' and Reinfeldt was that there was a majority to vote on Barroso in September.

Asked if the delay would risk slowing down the EU, Schulz said he did not believe so, noting that German Chancellor Angela Merkel had said that Germany's candidate to the incoming commission would not be named until after Germany's national elections September 27.

'The Commission in office until the end of October and they can act,' Schultz said.