Wednesday, 10 February 2010, Strasbourg
The new European Commission
With 488 votes “for”, 137 against and 72 abstaining MEPs supported the set of the New European Commission. These new 26 members are led by the President Barroso; this is Mr. Barroso’s second mandate. The President of the European Parliament Jerzy Buzek congratulated the election to Mr. Barroso.
European Parliament will debate on the Republic of Macedonia Progress Report by Mr. Zoran Thaler, MEP. This Report recommends opening accession negotiations without further delay, and calls the country to continue its reforms in the public administration, fight against corruption and sustaining inter-ethnic relations.
The resolution, which should be adopted after today’s debate, is a positive signal for Macedonia, and calls the Council to confirm the Commission’s recommendation on the Summit in March, and it is expected that the negotiations will start in near future .