EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - Jose Manuel Barroso looks set for another term as European Commission chief even as he has faced a storm of criticism for his handling of the current economic crisis and being in thrall to Paris and Berlin - condemnation that analysts say is unfair.

The 53-year old centre-right politician came to the office in 2004 on a sour note, having emerged as compromise candidate only at the 11th hour and only grudgingly supported by France and Germany.

His hosting of the Azores Summit - for supporters of the war in Iraq - in March 2003 was immediately given an unflattering rake-over at a time when the launch of the unpopular war was still fresh in the public mind.

He then bungled what could have been a relatively straightforward first encounter with the European Parliament by misjudging the mood of MEPs over an Italian commissioner nominee whom they felt was unsuitable. As the drama unfolded, a small rebellion turned into outright mutiny that threatened to sink the Barroso commission before it even began.