Online-chat on Barroso’s re-election as EC President: 17 September, 12.00 Brussels time (13.00 in Sofia)

„The political dimensions of the election of a new European Commission by the EP.”

This is the topic of a forthcoming online-discussion on Europe Gateway with leading political analyst Piotr Maciej Kaczynski, research fellow at the Center for European Political Studies CEPS.

The chat on http://chat.europe.bg is scheduled for Thursday, 17 September 2009, at 12.00 Brussels time (13.00 Bulgarian time). The discussion with Piotr Kaczynski will be held in English. All readers of Europe Gateway are invited to participate into it by posting questions, opinions and comments. Logging in the chat platform is free.

The online-discussion is taking place a day following the European Parliament’s vote on election of President of Commission, Barroso being the only candidate for a second term. The EP vote is scheduled for Wednesday 16 September.

The majority of the EP political groups believe that no additional postponement of this vote is necessary, with the Greens and part of the Socialists and Democrats wanting it to be scheduled after the announcement of the results of the Irish referendum on the Lisbon Treaty. Barroso’s candidature has already been supported by the 27 EU Member States’ heads of state. However, he needs to be supported also by the Members of the European Parliament, in which his party EPP does not have majority and has to find allies.

Europe Gateway’s online-guest Piotr Kaczynski (Poland) is a well-known political analyst and research fellow at the Brussels-based Center for European Political Studies. CEPS is an influential think-tank with rich international experience. Part of Mr. Kaczynski’s recent articles, focusing on the EP and the EC, are also published on Europe Gateway.

During the 60-minute long online session, Europe Gateway’s readers from Bulgaria and elsewhere in Europe will have the opportunity to chat with Piotr Kaczynski on why not all the MEPS support Barroso for a second term as EC President; on whether he had been too slow in counteracting the economic crisis and had only followed the big EU countries’ initiatives instead; as well as on the forthcoming election of the new members of the European Commission.

The topic’s political dimensions will be in the focus of the internet-dialogue, as well as the European Parliament’s role in electing the EU’s executive body – the Commission. Jore Barroso already drafted the Commission’s political program for the next term, which was tabled in the EP political groups. Barroso’s key priorities are counteracting the crisis in the EU, as well as strengthening the Union’s role on the international scene.

The online-discussion is part of the project “Interacting with the European Parliament”, implemented by the European Institute, the Center for Policy Modernization and Europe Gateway with the EP financial support.

MORE INFO: About the project. About the implementing organizations. About the online chats so far.