South West MEP will vote for 'unknown' man

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Thu 22nd Jul 2004

The 'unknown' man nominated by Europe's Prime Ministers to become the next president of the European Commission has won the vote of Graham Watson.

The South West MEP, who leads the European Liberal Democrat group, says he has been won over by Jose Manuel Barroso after hearing that he was prepared to sack any EU commissioners suspected of poor or fraudulent behaviour.

The European Parliament will today (Thursday) decide whether to accept the nomination of Mr Barroso, the former Portuguese Prime Minister, despite the fact that he was not the first choice of any EU country.

Graham Watson says he had started with a bias against Mr Barroso, believing that the EU needed someone with a vision at its head, but had changed his view after questioning Mr Barroso closely.

He said:

"He's a very impressive performer and a terrific communicator. He grew up in a Portugal that was transformed from a dictatorship to a democracy, and came over as head and shoulders above the calibre of most British politicians."

"I like what he has said about a Europe of freedom and social justice, his commitment to environmental improvement, and his pledge to sack commissioners if there was any suggestion that they were behaving inappropriately."

"He may not have been the first choice of Europe's other Prime Ministers but he could provide a bridge between the continent's large and small nations. It might also not be a bad thing that Portugal is England's oldest ally!"