Stanishev supports Barroso for a second term
Adelina Marini, June 18, 2009
The Bulgarian prime minister Sergey Stanishev supported Jose Manuel Barroso for a second term, in spite that he is a socialist. He announced this earlier today in Brussels before the beginning of the European Council. The question with the second term of Mr. Barroso has been raised after the European elections and before that he was almost certain that he would be reelected. But the socialists lost serious positions at the elections and warned that Barroso should not rely too much on second term. They also proposed the ex-Belgian prime minister Guy Verhofstad to replace Barroso. It is not clear how the Bulgarian prime minister traded his support but he announced that Bulgaria would insist to have a commissioner, responsible for energy.
In the meantime, before the beginning the European Council, which will have to decide not only on the future president of the Commission but also on the proposal for new European financial architecture, Barroso sent a letter with his priorities for the next 5 years, if elected for a second term. Without being too specific, the president of the Commission will work for further integration of the internal market, for radical transformation to knowledge-based economy, transition to green economy and sustainable growth which would require economic and social cohesion, fight with climate change and energy security, fight against the economic protectionism and the ambition of the EU to lead the effort to effective regulation and supervision of global financial markets.