Barroso Commission

Berlaymont Building, headquarters of the European Commission.

The Barroso Commission is the name used to refer to the European Commission chaired by José Manuel Durão Barroso between 2004 and 2014. The first took office on November 22, 2004 and the second was approved by the European Parliament on February 9, 2010.

Appointment

On June 29, 2004, the European Council appointed Durão Barroso as its candidate for the presidency of the European Commission for the period from November 1, 2004 to October 31, 2009. On July 22, the European Parliament ratified the appointment of the new president of the Commission.

Once the candidates for commissioners were proposed by each of the 25 member states, during the mandatory hearings before the European Parliament several candidates were harshly criticized, especially the Italian candidate, Rocco Buttiglione, who met with fierce opposition from the majority in Parliament due to his position on certain social issues and especially in relation to homosexuality. This led to the fact that on October 27 the designated president withdrew his candidates for commissioners from the investiture vote of the European Parliament.

After arduous negotiations, the president of the Italian government Silvio Berlusconi agreed to change his candidate and proposed his interior minister Franco Frattini, who successfully obtained the favorable vote of the European Parliament.

This crisis led to the scheduled entry into office of the new Commission for November 1, being delayed a few days and it could only take office on November 22, 2004.

Command

The Bolkestein directive faced a strong opposition.

Barroso Commission I (2004-2009)

On December 14, President Barroso presented before the Parliament the political and strategic orientations of the Executive for the five-year period: economic development, fight against terrorism (dissatisfaction with the prevailing system) and defense of European values are the priorities.

In January 2005, Durão stated at the Jakarta summit that aid from the 25 EU countries for the countries affected by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake will be around 1.5 billion euros. He also announced "an additional package of up to 450 million euros in humanitarian aid and for reconstruction." The figure does not include donations that came from EU citizens and companies. On 25th April Simeon Saxe-Coburg Gotha, Prime Minister of Bulgaria, and Traian Basescu, Prime Minister of Romania, signed the Treaty for the Accession of their respective countries to the EU before the Commission President.

In May, Durão and Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a roadmap in Moscow that contemplates "Four common spaces" between the EU and Russia. then in September the eighth annual China-EU summit was held in Beijing.

The approval of the financial perspectives for the period 2007-2013 during the European Council of December 2005, was one of his first achievements.

On January 1, 2007 Bulgaria and Romania became new member states of the European Union. Two new commissioners from the new members joined the Barroso Commission.

Barroso II Commission (2009-2014)

Herman Van Rompuy, President of the European Council and José Manuel Durao Barroso in 2010.

Following the constitution of the new Parliament that emerged from the 2009 European elections, the President of the European Council commissioned the newly elected and acting President of the outgoing Commission, the Portuguese conservative José Manuel Durão Barroso, to form a new College in cooperation with the Member States, to be presented before the Chamber for its investiture. The list of designated members was adopted by the Council, and the president proceeded to configure and assign the new portfolios for each of the commissioners. After some shocks in the hearing phase, on February 9, 2010 Parliament approved and invested the new Commission, which swore to the Treaties and took office shortly after. The Barroso II Commission is made up of 27 commissioners, all of whom have a specific portfolio. This new Commission includes the President and 7 Vice-Presidents, including two First Vice-Presidents, one of them the High Representative. Below we present a list of the members of said Commission, which will conclude its five-year term in 2014, and the portfolios that each one of them has entrusted.

In August 2010 there were mass deportations by the Sarkozy government of Romanian gypsies with the excuse that they were in illegal camps. This produced a strong row between Durao and Sarkozy.

Curators

Legend: [ ] center right (PPE) - [ ] Center Left (PSE) - [ ] Liberal (ELDR)