1. Wide shot of exterior presidential palace in Lisbon 2. Cameras at press conference 3. Barroso leaving meeting with Portuguese president 4. Mid shot of Portuguese and EU flags 5. Barroso walking into press conference 6. SOUNDBITE (Portuguese) Jose Durao Barroso, President of Portugal: "As the current prime minister in office in Lisbon I am pleased to inform the Portuguese public about my decision. I have been offered by the European Commission the position of president of the European union and I have decided to accept it. This is an exciting time, one of the sensational moments in European history, after the EU has expanded to 25 countries." 7. Barroso ending presser and leaving room 8. Statue in Rossio Square in central Lisbon 9. People walking in street 10. SOUNDBITE (English) Voxpop: "I think everybody is quite surprised and happy you know, it is not something that we expected to happen. But it does happen and I think it's good. I just hope that it's not a clown in the middle of all the real power people - you know, you understand what I mean?" 11. Man reading newspaper 12. Close-up of photo in newspaper of Barroso shaking hands with Romano Prodi of Italy (current commission president) 13. Street scene 14. SOUNDBITE (English) Voxpop: "Portugal is a part of Europe - for tourism and economics I think it's a very good opportunity." 15. People in street 16. Portuguese flag STORYLINE: Portugal's conservative prime minister, Jose Durao Barroso, said on Tuesday that he has decided to accept an invitation to become the next European Commission president. "I will accept the invitation I was given," Durao Barroso said at a press conference in Lisbon. He was to travel later Tuesday to Brussels, where his appointment to the European Union's top job was due to be confirmed at a meeting of the bloc's 25 leaders. Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern, whose country holds the EU presidency, spent weeks searching for a candidate acceptable to all member states. He offered Durao Barroso the job Sunday after saying the Portuguese prime minister had unanimous support in EU capitals. Romano Prodi of Italy, the current commission president, is due to step down at the end of October when his five-year-term ends. Durao Barroso said as EU chief he intended to "build a stronger European Union, fairer and more united, more active in the international field." The European Commission runs the EU's day-to-day affairs. It drafts EU law, ensures it is enacted in each of the member states, represents the union in world trade and other negotiations and presents the image of the EU to the world. Durao Barroso, a 48-year-old former foreign minister, has been a vocal supporter of US policy on Iraq and has also backed greater EU integration. He takes on a daunting task at a time when the union is widely seen as losing credibility on the streets of Europe. Elections across Europe for the European Parliament earlier this month were marked by a record low turnout of 45.5 percent and gains for fringe parties hostile to deeper European integration. Durao Barroso said the decision to leave the Portuguese government was difficult but that as EU chief he would also be serving the interests of Portugal, which is a member of the bloc. "To serve the European project is also to serve Portugal," Durao Barroso said in a statement. He declined to take reporters' questions. His announcement came midway through his four-year mandate as prime minister. No date was set for his departure from the government. You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/a0611195b3313139f2207cffb3ad7744 Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork

• published: 21 Jul 2015
• views: 26