About: Barroso

EU watchdog opens probe into Barrosogate

Ombudsman Emily O’Reilly began investigating the Commission’s handling of the Barrosogate scandal today (28 February).

Barroso warns of declining support for EU ahead of election

The lack of support to European Union institutions may become a threat to European integration itself, Commission President José Manuel Barroso warned in a major speech delivered at Berlin's Humboldt University on the occasion of Europe Day.

Prizes for Barroso and Van Rompuy – what for?

European Commission President José Manuel Barroso received the Carlos V Europe Prize in Spain last week, while European Council President Herman Van Rompuy received the International Charlemagne Prize in Aachen, Germany. Organisations should temporarily suspend prize-giving, argues Ewald König, saying it is high time to expose celebrity award inflation.

Barroso pelted with eggs at Belgian debate

Commission President José Manuel Barroso was pelted with eggs by youths who blamed him for austerity policies and the death of migrants in Lampedusa, during a debate on Europe's future in Liège, Belgium.

Barroso: EU would be ridiculed if US shutdown occurred here

Commission President José Manuel Barroso said that while the EU was "ridiculed" for its handling of the eurozone crisis he would not criticise the United States for its budget deadlock, as this was a "normal" result of democracy.

Barroso: I proposed putting a ‘face’ on EU elections

Commission President José Manuel Barroso said yesterday (12 September) that he came up with the idea that European political parties present their candidate for the top EU job at the European Parliament elections in 2014, and regretted that little progress had been made in this direction.

Barroso savages British Tories for ‘looking like UKIP’

European Commission President José Manuel Barroso has fired off an undiplomatic warning to British Conservatives that they risk losing out to the eurosceptic UKIP party in the next British elections, saying British voters would rather vote for the original than the copy.

#AskBarroso campaign hijacked by pressure groups

Pressure groups have "hijacked" a social media campaign by the cabinet of European Commission President José Manuel Barroso which asks citizens to address their questions to the hashtag #askbarroso ahead of his state of the union speech, EURACTIV has learned.

Barroso: ‘I deal with crises 24 hours a day, seven days a week’

As European Commission President José Manuel Barroso prepares for what could be his last State of the Union speech in Parliament next week, he has exchanged views with MEPs, exuding what participants say was an air of triumphalism over the Commission's handling of the eurozone crisis.

If Europe was stronger…

I would happily agree to transfer more powers to the European Union if in exchange they protected my interests more strongerly and efficiently than national institutions can provide, writes Ivailo Kalfin.

French Minister accuses Barroso of fuelling the far-right

French Industry Minister Arnaud Montebourg accused European Commission President José Manuel Barroso yesterday (23 June) of fuelling far-right and populist movements in Europe as EU institutions failed to defend the interests of ordinary people.

EU leaders to warn Putin against ‘repressive tendencies’

The 31st EU-Russia summit will be held today (3 June) in the Ural city of Yekaterinburg. No breakthroughs or surprises are anticipated, but EU representatives are expected to warn President Vladimir Putin about “repressive tendencies” in Russia.

Barroso refuses to rule out third term bid

Commission President José Manuel Barroso will decide next year whether to run for a record third term as head of the EU executive, according to reported comments yesterday (4 April) in Vienna, where he is on an official visit.

Commissioners accept 25% ‘solidarity’ salary cut

All 27 European Commissioners have agreed from next month to accept a 25% salary cut "as a gesture of solidarity with our weakened economies", a spokesman for Commission President José Manuel Barroso announced today (1 April).

OLAF accused of using ‘illegal means’ in Dalligate probe

Green members of the European Parliament have accused the EU’s anti-fraud office, OLAF, of using wire taping and other “illegal means” in the investigation which led to the resignation of John Dalli as health commissioner. Senior MEPs called for the OLAF director to resign.

The Council’s brazen Nobel fraud

The message of the EU Council’s Nobel Prize exhibition is a tribute to France's General de Gaulle, writes David Price who wonders: Is the Council now openly declaring it is a Bastion of Gaullism?

MEP Farage: ‘We are Europeans, and proud of it’

Britain's 40 years in the EU have been of great shame and sadness, but the British are European and proud of it, British MEP Nigel Farage told EURACTIV Germany.

Regional independence: Opening Pandora’s box

It is too simplistic to propose that a region could simply remain in the European Union after seceding from its EU member state and that the ‘evaporation theory’ of Belgium's New Flemish Alliance cannot adequately grasp all the political and legal problems which such a scenario would entail, say Guillaume Van der Loo and Merijn Chamon.

Which institutions for the euro area?

José Manuel Barroso and Herman Van Rompuy have already sketched out the broad outlines of an institutional architecture for the euro area that is sound in monetary matters but which needs to be further improved by combining effectiveness and legitimacy, writes António Vitorino.

Finnish minister disagrees with Barroso on EU treaty change

Finland's Europe minister Alexander Stubb questioned today (18 September) the need for a change to the European Union's treaty, saying such a move would require too much time and raise uncertainty.

Delivering a ‘lead’ candidate for the 2014 European elections

In his latest State of the Union address to the European Parliament, European Commission President José Manuel Barroso asked all political parties to present a ‘lead’ candidate for the European elections. The reason that the call was such a surprise was that the Party of European Socialists has been working on this for the last three years, argues Sergei Stanishey.

EU appeals for calm as Islamophobic video stirs Mideast tensions

José Manuel Barroso, European Commission President, made an appeal against extremism yesterday (13 September), as demonstrators in Yemen and Egypt attacked US embassies, outraged by a blasphemous American film posted online. 

Reding calls for Barroso third term

European Commission Vice President Viviane Reding has called for the current Commission President José Manuel Barroso to stay on for an unprecedented third term, following a row with the Romanian Prime Minister Victor Ponta.