The Conference of Presidents, meeting in Strasbourg on 16 July, with the aim of setting the agenda for the September plenary session and notably to decide on the timing of the vote on the President of the European Commission by the Parliament, has invited Mr Barroso to present his political programme to the Parliament on Tuesday 15 September before the vote, which should take place on Wednesday, 16 September.

After a long exchange of views, the provisional vote of Mr Barroso has been scheduled for 16 September. The EPP group, the Conservative group and the EFD group came out in favour of holding the vote in September. The S&D, the Greens and the GUE/NGL voted against this timetable. The final decision will be taken by the Conference of Presidents on Thursday ,10 September.

Lothar Bisky, on behalf of the GUE/NGL group, expressed his opposition to the vote for Mr Barroso as early as September, notably in view of the referendum in Ireland and the ruling by the German Constitutional Court on the Lisbon Treaty.

But, apart from the procedural aspects, Mr Bisky, on behalf of the GUE/NGL group, is strongly critical of the policies of Mr Barroso and the neoliberal orientations of the Commission and their incapacity to face the serious economic, social and financial crisis confronting most EU Member States. Furthermore, Mr Bisky considers that the European Commission requires a President whose priorities would include a Europe of solidarity, high social standards and that is peaceful.

GUE/NGL Press

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