(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) Outgoing President of the European Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso, Tuesday afternoon gave a 30-minute emotional farewell speech to the European Parliament underlining his achievements as the head of the EU's executive body.
He said that since he took office in 2004, the EU overcame a constitutional crisis - the rejection of the EU constitution in France and the Netherlands - a debt crisis, and an economic crisis in Europe.
He noted that Europe is today facing a geopolitical crisis referring to the situation in Ukraine and problems with Russia.
"The way to solve the problems we have in Europe is not through revolution and even less through counter-revolution. It's by compromise, it's by reform," stressed the former Portuguese prime minister.
"Whenever there was a big tragedy in the world, from the tsunami in Indonesia to the recent Ebola crisis, from the Syrian refugee crisis to Darfur, we were there, we were among the first," he stated.
Barroso said that one of his "most emotional moment" was when, on behalf of the European Union, he received the Nobel Peace Prize, last year.
"I think this was a powerful reminder sent to us from the global community that we count in this world and that what we do is very important," he added.
Meanwhile, the EP will vote tomorrow whether to approve the new European Commission led by Jean-Claude Juncker. If approved, President-elect Juncker's team can start work on 1 November.
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