Barroso proposed for second term
Malta pushes Italian for EP top job
EU leaders meeting for their traditional mid-yearly summit in Brussels yesterday started discussions on institutional issues that will determine how the EU will function in the coming years.
Guarantees to Ireland in order to persuade its electorate to vote for the Lisbon Treaty in a second referendum to be held in October, the re-nomination of Josè Manuel Barroso for a second term as President of the European Commission and lobbying for the next president of the European Parliament were all on the agenda of EU leaders.
Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi said Malta was supporting the re-nomination of Mr Barroso "as he did a very good job in the past five years" and would also be pushing the nomination of Italian MEP Mario Mauro who is Silvio Berlusconi's nominee for the presidency of the EP.
Despite Malta's endorsement, EU sources said that Mr Mauro's chances were very slim as another EPP candidate, former Polish Prime Minister Jerzy Buzek was more likely to be elected because he enjoyed more support among MEPs.
Mr Barroso got the political endorsement of EU leaders for a second term, which now needs to be confirmed by the EP, probably next month.
EU leaders yesterday failed to agree on a set of legal guarantees to the Irish on the Lisbon Treaty although they will return to the topic today.
EU sources said that although member states had already agreed on the substance of these guarantees they still had to agree on the precise legal form they would take. Certain member states, particularly the UK, are concerned that agreeing to turn the guarantees into a protocol, as the Irish wish, would open the door to a new round of treaty renegotiations in a few years' time.
The guarantees state that Ireland's tradition of military neutrality, family and social policies and control of tax matters would not be affected by the Lisbon Treaty.
Widespread concern that the treaty could force Ireland to change its corporate tax policy, abandon its neutral status and change its laws on abortion and divorce contributed to the Irish voters' decision to reject the treaty when it was put to them in a referendum in June 2008.