This WEEK in the European Union

The European Parliament is on Tuesday (9 February) expected to give the green light to the new European Commission led by Jose Manuel Barroso.

The vote - a simple majority of those present is needed - will see the commission formally in place on Wednesday following a three-month delay. The new team is expected to hold its first official meeting on 17 February, with commissioners using the day after the vote to start moving into their offices.

On Thursday (11 February), in a vote that will be followed closely on the other side of the Atlantic, MEPs are due to accept or reject a bank data transfer deal with the US, which has been in place provisionally since 1 February. If rejected, American authorities will no longer have access to information on intra-European bank transactions, which they say is crucial for tracking terrorist funding.

Euro-deputies from across the board however claim that the interim agreement contains insufficient data protection measures. The biggest group in the parliament backs the deal, but is still short of a majority. A debate on the matter with representatives of the EU presidency and commission is scheduled for Wednesday (10 February) and could tip the balance in favour of the agreement.

On the same day, enlargement is also on the agenda, who are going to evaluate the EU progress made by Croatia, Turkey and Macedonia. Parliament's approval is needed for any new candidate country to join the bloc, with Croatia being the most advanced on the path.

The outcome of the Ukrainian presidential elections, which took place on Sunday, will also be debated on Wednesday. A last-minute change to the country's electoral law, favouring opposition candidate Viktor Yanukovich, was signed into force just three days before the vote. It could bring bring thousands of protesters onto the streets on Monday, in support of Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, who has threatened to declare the ballot invalid.

Back in Brussels, EU leaders on Thursday will for the first time gather under the chairmanship of Herman Van Rompuy, the permanent president of the European Council – a new post created by the Lisbon Treaty.

The informal meeting focuses on EU's economic strategy for the next ten years, the aftermath of the failed climate change conference in Copenhagen and the emergency situation in Haiti. The economic troubles of the so-called PIIGS countries of the eurozone (Portugal, Italy, Ireland, Greece and Spain) are also likely to come up.

Meanwhile, the Committee of Regions, a consultative Brussels-based body comprising of European local and regional authorities will elect its new leadership on 9-10 February. The candidates for the top job are Italian president of the Piedmont region Mercedes Bresso, Flo Clucas, member of the Liverpool city council and Ramon Luis Valcarcel Siso, head of the Spanish autonomous community of Murcia.

Currently, the Committee of Regions is chaired by Luc Van Den Brande, the former premier of the Belgian region of Flanders.