Updated: Barroso praises Borg as assurances are given to MEPs

European Commission President Jose Manoel Barroso said today the European Parliament's hearing of Commissioner-designate Tonio Borg had shown he was fully qualified on the substance matter of his designated portfolio. Mr Barroso made his comment in a letter to the president of the European Parliament, Martin Schulz, in which he also enclosed a letter by Dr Borg replying to concerns expressed by some MEPs. In his letter, Mr Barroso said: "May I take this opportunity to thank you, the Conference of Committee Chairs and all the members of the committees involved in the hearing with Mr Borg for the transparent and objective manner in which this process has been conducted. "I also appreciated the quality of the dialogue I had with you and the Group leaders in the Conference of the Presidents. "I believe that Mr Borg's hearing has shown that he is fully qualified on the substance matter of the portfolio. In this respect, I note the positive evaluation given by the relevant parliamentary committees. I am confident that this, together with the additional reassurances in the letter attached, will fully satisfy Parliament's expectations. "We are in the middle of demanding challenges...