Strasbourg, France  - Jose Manuel Barroso planned to outline his political manifesto to the European Parliament on Tuesday ahead of his probable re-election as head of the European Commission.

In June, Barroso obtained the unanimous support of the European Union's 27 governments for a second five-year mandate as head of the bloc's executive.

The centre-right former prime minister of Portugal was now set to receive the backing from parliament in a vote scheduled to take place on Wednesday.

His confirmation in Strasbourg was expected to be a formality after his strongest opponents, the socialists, conceded last week that they did not have enough votes to block him.

The conservative European People's Party (EPP) is the biggest group in the 736-strong assembly, with 265 MEPs. The Progressive Alliance of Socialists & Democrats (S&D) is the second-largest, with 184 MEPs, followed by the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE), with 84 seats.

Barroso has in recent speeches called for a stronger Europe capable of shaping globalization and displaying "leadership" on the world stage.

"United, Europe will lead; divided, Europe will be irrelevant," he said at a conference in Brussels last week.

In his speech to parliament later on Tuesday, the commission chief was expected to highlight the need to help preserve jobs at a time of economic crisis, while at the same time rejecting protectionism.

Barroso was also expected to call for an improvement in the workings of the EU's internal market, a rapid transition towards a low-carbon economy, and more secure energy supplies.

The commission chief was also likely to make new attempts to win over leftwing critics who accuse him of being an admirer of US-style free markets.

"The European model of society is unique because it puts the human person at the centre of its concerns. It is neither enthralled by the market, nor enslaved by the state," Barroso said last week. (dpa)