In the end, it was all so easy. A few minutes ago, José Manuel Barroso won approval for a second term as European Commission president, after a vote in the European Parliament that went 382 in his favour and 219 against, with 117 abstentions.
Barroso thus comfortably cleared the threshold of 369 votes – that is, more than half of the 736-seat parliament – that he needed in order to remove any doubts about his political authority over the next five years. No wonder he was wreathed in smiles as he accepted a congratulatory bouquet of flowers from Cecilia Malmström, Sweden’s European affairs minister.
Under the terms of the European Union’s Nice treaty, Barroso required only a simple majority for reappointment. That was scarcely in question, given that he didn’t face a rival candidate. But if his tally had fallen substantially below 369, there would have been strong pressure for him to undergo another vote, because the EU’s Lisbon treaty – which EU leaders hope will come into force next year – requires the nominee to win an absolute majority.
The lingering threat of another vote would surely have weakened Barroso and complicated his task of selecting his next Commission. It would also have damaged the EU’s image among the general European public, and it would no doubt have caused derision in certain capitals beyond the EU’s eastern frontier.
But all that no longer matters. The real question now is how Barroso intends to capitalise on his success. Immediately after the vote, he told MEPs that he would devote his second term to building “a Europe of solidarity and freedom”.
Like a lot of what Barroso says, this can mean everything and nothing. It is a campaign slogan, designed to hoover up as many votes as possible from the left, the centre and the right, rather than a serious policy programme. In his recent speeches, there hasn’t been much more detail - although, to be fair, he is promising to reorganise Commission portfolios so that there will be three new posts covering fundamental rights rights and civil liberties, internal affairs and migration, and climate change.
For the moment, Barroso has every right to celebrate his victory. But in the coming weeks we will need to see concrete ideas from him on how he proposes to protect and strengthen the EU’s single market, persuade national governments not to undermine the common European interest, and convince European citizens of the EU’s continuing relevance to their lives.
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