Former Portuguese Prime Minister Mr Jose Manuel Barroso was today confirmed as the next president of the European Commission.
Mr Barroso's unanimous nomination by EU leaders last month was endorsed by a comfortable 413-251 majority of Euro-MPs in Strasbourg.
He said afterwards that he was delighted, honoured, and proud" to have been chosen.
His name had not even been on the original short-list for the job.
Mr Barroso only emerged as a compromise after bitter feuding between EU leaders over front-runners including Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt and EU Commissioner and former Tory party chairman Chris Patten. The Taoiseach, Mr Ahern's name was in the hat also.
In the last few days Mr Barroso has been wooing MEPs in a series of meetings seeking wide political support to give his Commission leadership the credibility it needs.
And although he has been dubbed the "unknown man", he managed to convince sufficient MEPs that he will be a strong figurehead in the midst of growing disquiet about the euro-project.
Last night, in a final speech in Strasbourg before today's vote, Mr Barroso appealed a call for unity to counter rising EU apathy in the wake of last month's disastrous euro-elections.
He said it was vital to "argue every day the case for our European Union".
Mr Barroso went on: "The best argument will be our results. We must show our citizens that Europe can deliver what it promises."
Today MEPs gave him qualified backing on the understanding that he now delivers what he promised - "prosperity, solidarity and security".
