The European Parliament will likely vote Wednesday to keep Jose Manuel Barroso as head of the European Commission for five more years, backing the choice of the 27 EU leaders who see the conservative Portuguese as best suited to help steer Europe out of its recession. On Tuesday, Barroso had the support of the parliament's 256 Christian Democrats, who said they will also count on support from the Liberals (84 members) and the 55-member Conservatives group. Barroso needs a simple majority -- 369 votes in the 736-member assembly -- to be reappointed. 'We are confident the vote will go our way,' said Eduard Slootweg, a spokesman for the Christian Democratic group. However, Barroso was not supported by the parliament's 184 Socialists, who complain that he is weak on protecting EU manufacturing jobs amid the worst economic crisis in decades. 'We will not vote for Barroso,' said Martin Schulz, the parliament's socialist leader. He said that, in his first term, Barroso was overly deferential to conservative leaders in France, Germany, Italy and elsewhere who, Schulz said, have done too little to soften the impact of the financial crisis and the recession it triggered. Under EU rules, the government leaders pick a new chief for the European Commission, the powerful executive that drafts EU-wide legislation and ensures EU governments obey them. But their choice must be endorsed by the EU Parliament. The EU leaders settled on Barroso in June after European Parliament elections saw gains for conservative forces in some of Europe's largest economies -- an outcome seen as vindication of policies on company bailouts and fiscal stimulus packages to combat the recession. Barroso was to address the assembly later Tuesday to air his views for the next five years. On Sept. 3, he issued a 48-page document outlining his priorities for the 2010-2015 period. It touches on steps to encourage governments to do more to tackle unemployment, promote sustainable growth and a low carbon economy, and strengthen Europe's role in the world. In general, Socialists want Barroso to halt the flight of companies to low-wage nations and step up regulation of financial markets. Liberals want Barroso to speak up more for the protection of fundamental rights, the rights of refugees and data privacy. Greens see Barroso as weak on climate change. 'In the last two years, Barroso has put a brake on any progressive climate policy,' said Rebecca Harms, a German Green. 