This WEEK in the European Union

Post-European elections bargaining will peak this week at an EU summit on Thursday and Friday in Brussels, when the bloc's leaders are set to decide the fate of Jose Manuel Barroso as commission president as well as agree on the legal guarantees enabling Ireland to hold a second referendum on the Lisbon Treaty.

EU foreign ministers will test the grounds on Monday (15 June) in preparation to their presidents and premiers' summit at the end of the week.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy put a cat amongst the pigeons last week when he announced his country and Germany were backing Mr Barroso for a second mandate, but only if he adopted a "more ambitious" programme for Europe.

A political agreement on Mr Barroso was secure for the upcoming summit, he said, but a juridical backing would only come later this fall, adding some extra pressure on the commission head, who is already being contested by the European Socialists.

Mr Barroso already urged EU leaders to appoint him in June, so that the newly elected parliament could give its blessing on his second mandate in July. But both the French president and the German chancellor would rather keep the pressure on Mr Barroso in order to secure important portfolios in the next commission.

As the Barroso commission's mandate only runs out at the end of October, France is suggesting the possibility of delaying the whole nomination procedure until after the Irish referendum on the Lisbon Treaty. The EU parliament would then play a bigger role in the appointment of the president of the executive, something that adds extra stress to Mr Barroso, as the Socialists, Liberals and Greens could block the procedure.

But Sweden, as incoming EU presidency, is insisting that Mr Barroso be given the job a second time and with a full mandate from June.

Meanwhile, the calendar of the second Irish referendum largely depends on the legal guarantees to be adopted by the EU leaders on Thursday. Yet Britain is wary of drawing up a new protocol, warning that it might relaunch the debate on the Lisbon Treaty.

London has already ratified the document, as have most EU countries, yet Conservative opposition leader David Cameron, whose party won in a landslide in both the EU and local elections, has pledged to put the text to a referendum if the Brown government falls and he becomes prime minister before it is ratified.

Poland and the Czech Republic, whose presidents have still not signed off the treaty, could also want similar guarantees, especially on social issues such as ensuring the EU could not impose abortion laws in Ireland or on keeping the country's low tax regime.

Several states are also concerned about a declaration Dublin is seeking on Irish workers' rights, a very sensitive issue at EU level, where the emphasis is on freedom of movement for workers.

Foreign ministers on Monday are also set to discuss the bloc's relations with Israel, during an EU-Israel association council. Echoing US President Barack Obama's remarks in Egypt ten days ago, the ministers are expected to call on Israel to end settlement activities in the West Bank and commit "unequivocally" to the two-state solution.

Meanwhile, informal meetings will continue among the newly elected MEPs on the reorganisation of political groups after the European elections results. The outgoing Bureau of the Parliament will also be meeting to deal with organisational matters in the run up to the inaugural session of the new Parliament on 14-16 July in Strasbourg.

A first EU-Pakistan summit is scheduled to take place on Wednesday (17 June) in Brussels, under the chairmanship of Czech President Vaclav Klaus. The summit is mainly aimed at giving political backing to the Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari in his efforts to counter the Taliban insurgency, while also raising concerns regarding the human rights and huge flows of internally displaces persons from the Swat valley where the main fighting takes place.

EU anti-terrorism co-ordinator Gilles de Kerchove will also attend the summit, as well as the Pakistani ministers of interior, foreign affairs, commerce and the special advisor on financial issues. The EU is likely to offer technical assistance in training the police and judiciary when dealing with terrorism suspects, as well as aim an increase in aid for the internally displaced persons.