In an interview with French newspaper Le Monde and other national newspapers, Barroso said he would make his decision "after the elections, taking into account the support from member states and the Parliament" after the European elections on 4-7 June.
Most European leaders have already lent their support to Barroso, including his own conservative family (EurActiv 16/10/08) and ruling socialists in key countries like Spain and the UK (EurActiv 17/03/09).
With the Party of European Socialists unable to agree on an alternative candidate - and barring last-minute surprises at the June European elections, which the conservatives are tipped to win - it therefore seems Barroso is set for a smooth re-appointment.
According to the agreed schedule, the new Commission president should be appointed by EU leaders at a summit in Brussels on 18-19 June, nearly two weeks after the June poll.
However, France harbours doubts about making the decision before the Irish people vote again on the Lisbon Treaty, a point that President Sarkozy underlined at the European summit in March (EurActiv 3/03/09).
Another Paris-based critic, former State Secretary for EU Affairs Jean-Pierre Jouyet, complained in his memoirs about the Commission's slow reaction to the financial meltdown, saying it had initially adopted a bureaucratic attitude. The EU executive, he said, had adopted a "dogmatic" approach to the crisis, defending free-market policies when they had to be bent in view of the exceptional circumstances.
Current French Secretary of State for EU Affairs Bruno Le Maire suggested that the June summit could give "an indication" about the new Commission president but delay a decision until later, according to Le Monde.
However, Barroso said such institutional uncertainty would be the worst thing for Europe given the economic crisis. "It would not be normal to stay in indecision," he said in the interview.
"The European Parliament is planning to confirm the Commission president in July. We need the institutional stability, because the crisis is extremely serious. Deadlines, such as the G8 meeting in July in Italy, and then a new meeting of the G20 in the United States in September, are fast approaching," he said.
