The European Parliament's main eurosceptic group will not support European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso for a second term if a vote goes ahead in the EU assembly next week, its leader said on Monday.
Barroso will appear before each of the parliament's political groups this week in a bid to persuade them to give him a second term in a vote at their sitting in Strasbourg next week.
Leaders of each of the main political bodies in the 736-member parliament will decide on Thursday whether the vote should go ahead.
But Nigel Farage, leader of the eurosceptic Europe of Freedom and Democracy group, said he wanted the decision postponed at least until after Ireland's referendum on the EU's Lisbon reform treaty on Oct. 3.
"We shall vote to postpone," Farage said ahead of a Thomson Reuters Newsmaker debate on the Lisbon Treaty in Dublin. "We think this idea of him being rushed in early is part of them saying to Ireland: look we have all had some difficult economic times, but the ship here is very steady, so that's why we will want it postponed."
Irish voters rejected the EU's reform treaty — aimed at giving Brussels a greater role in world affairs — in June 2008, plunging the 27-nation bloc into crisis.
But after receiving legal guarantees from its EU partners on divisive issues such as tax sovereignty, military neutrality, workers' rights and keeping its EU Commissioner, the Irish government will hold a second plebiscite on Oct. 3.
"COMPLETE CONTEMPT"
Barroso has the backing of mainstream conservatives in the European Parliament. But support is less certain among Socialists, Liberals and Greens for a debate on Sept. 15 on whether the 53-year-old conservative former Portuguese prime minister should be given another five-year term. "I think the vote will go ahead anyway … I will lead the debate for my group and we shall vote against the Barroso nomination," Farage said.
"Even before official result was in from the last referendum in Ireland last year, Barroso said 'an Irish No cannot stop this treaty', and if he is prepared to treat small countries like Ireland and democracies with complete contempt he will not get my support."
Barroso has the backing of the of 27 member states and no rival candidate has emerged. But he needs cross-party support in the parliament for his re-election.
Last week, Barroso submitted his plan for a second term to members of the EU assembly. [ID:nL3598124] But Barroso's priorities on reducing unemployment, overseeing reform of financial markets and combating the effects of climate change have failed to convince Farage and his 35-member group.
"I find the concept of the bureaucracy of five-year plans have terrible historical consequences and are not the way to order our future," Farage said.
"I don't support anything that this (EU) Commision does, I don't support this government of Europe being an unelected bureaucracy called the Commission.
