| EU affairs: Barroso reappointment uncertain; Ireland given guarantees ahead of Lisbon referendum |
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There is a division in Parliament over when a vote on Barroso's reappointment should be held - the EPP is pressing for July while the Socialists and Greens would like to see it postponed until autumn in order to allow more time for scrutiny of his proposals. The consultations on the matter between the incoming Swedish presidency and the group leaders in Parliament have been postponed until 6 July. Barroso said he would not appoint a centre-right dominated Commission. "Europe has to be a cross-party project," he said. "It has to be political but not too partisan." He said his two main priorities would be tackling the economic crisis and climate change. At the Brussels summit, EU leaders also agreed legally-binding guarantees on tax, military neutrality and ethical issues intended to persuade Irish voters to approve the Lisbon Treaty at the planned second referendum. Irish Prime Minister Brian Cowen has suggested that this may be held in October this year. Opinion polls currently suggest that a majority will vote "Yes" to the treaty, partly due to a desire to support the EU in the wake of the financial crisis. Sources:
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Although the current Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso received unanimous approval from the European Council at the Brussels summit of 18-19 June, his reappointment is still not certain. Barroso and all his nominations to the Commission must be approved by the European Parliament. Although the EP is dominated by centre-right MEPs supportive of Barroso, he must make sure that he obtains sufficient support from the currently hostile Socialists and Greens.
The Lisbon Treaty seeks to make the EU more effective on the world stage. The European External Action Service (EEAS) will be the EU's own diplomatic service. Proposals for establishing this service have been published by Baroness Cathy Ashton, the EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (
