Taoiseach Brian Cowen has welcomed the reappointment as president of the European Commission of Jose Manuel Barroso, describing him as a “very good friend” of Ireland".
Mr Cowen said President Barroso had consistently displayed the right balance of leadership and consideration and Ireland's interests would be well served by him.
"The European Council was unanimous in its view that he is the right person to head up the Commission in what are likely to be five extremely important years for Europe," said Mr Cowen.
"Europe needs leadership as we recover from the recent economic and financial crisis, and also to meet the international challenges such as climate change, energy security and cross border crime," he added.
Mr Cowen will meet Mr Barroso at a meeting of the European Council in Brussels tomorrow.
Fine Gael’s Europe spokesman Billy Timmins said Mr Barroso will provide strong leadership to the EU during the current economic crisis.
“President Barroso has been a good friend to Ireland. In his last term he was a regular and engaging visitor to this country,” he said. “Those who met him were struck by his breath of knowledge and passionate concern on policy matters.”
Socialist Party MEP Joe Higgins claimed Mr Barroso had been "interfering" in the debate in Ireland on the Lisbon Treaty.
"The Left in Ireland is in favour of the widest democratic debate on the Lisbon Treaty and we are fully prepared to debate with any of the political groups around Europe, but it is a gross abuse of taxpayers' funds and of democratic procedures for the Commission to intervene in a one-sided fashion in the way the Commission has done in Ireland," Mr Higgins said.
He said the reappointment would motive the No side to redouble their efforts. "Europe has had enough of Mr Barroso's neo-liberal agenda," he added.
