BARROSO TO HOLD PRE-HEARING SEMINAR.

European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso will open a seminar with the 26 members of his future team at 9:00 on 7 January in Brussels. It will last all morning and will be followed by a working lunch. The meeting will "focus on preparing the hearings," said a Commission spokesman. The hearings of the commissioners-designate will open on 11 January in Brussels and conclude on 19 January in Strasbourg. The stakes are important and Barroso hopes to avoid a repeat of the unfortunate episodes in 2004, when two candidates were found unfit for...