EP approves new Commission

STRASBOURG - The European Parliament has officially endorsed a new Commission, which is scheduled to start work on Feb. 10 - the day after the vote took place.

The decision marks an end to the eight month period that the EU has gone without a executive arm. President Jose Manuel Barroso and his 26-member college received 488 votes in favour, 137 against while 72 MEPs abstained.

Each of the Baltic States has one person who was approved as a member of the Commission.

Estonian Siim Kallas will be one of the four vice presidents of the European Commission and commissioner in charge of transport policy, Latvian Andris Piebalgs will have the development portfolio, while Lithuanian Algirdas Semeta will be in charge of taxation, customs union, audit and anti-fraud.

During the debate held debate on Tuesday morning, Parliament's President, Jerzy Buzek said, "This is the first time in our history that we are appointing the European Commission in our capacity as a real co-legislator. This is the dawn of a new decade, with a new way of working for the European institutions".

Accountability to Parliament is "crucially important for the Commission's democratic legitimacy", stressed Commission President José Manuel Barroso. The present exceptional times, with the economic crisis, climate change and energy security issues, meant that now was "a time for boldness".

We need "strong European institutions" to tackle these challenges, he argued, and it was up to the Commission and Parliament acting together "to ensure that the EU is more than the sum of its parts", the EP reported in a press release.