European Parliament approves new EU commission
BRUSSELS. February 10. KAZINFORM The European Parliament (EP) elected the new European Commission (EC) by 488 votes to 137, with 72 abstentions, in Strasbourg on Tuesday; Kazinform refers to Xinhua.
The vote took the form of a single ballot on the whole college of commissioners, consisting of one commissioner from each of the 27 European Union (EU) Member States.
The new 27-member commission led by Jos Manuel Barroso will stay in office until October 31, 2014. By way of comparison, Barroso's first commission was voted into office in November 2004 by 449 votes to 149, with 82 abstentions.
"This is the first time in our history that we are appointing the European Commission in our capacity as a real co-legislator," EP's President Jerzy Buzek said during the debate held on Tuesday morning.
"This is the dawn of a new decade, with a new way of working for the European institutions," he said.
Barroso stressed that accountability to parliament is " crucially important for the commission's democratic legitimacy."
The present exceptional times, with the economic crisis, climate change and energy security issues, meant that now was "a time for boldness," Barroso said; Kazinform cites Xinhua.
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