José Manuel Barroso, the European Commission president, is to hold a final round of meetings on Friday morning with nominees for the next Commission before settling on a distribution of some 25 portfolios that could reshape responsibility for EU financial regulation.
Mr Barroso's deliberations, which have brought Brussels to a near standstill, could result in a decision as early as Friday, according to people familiar with the matter, although they warned that the process could drag on until the president returns from Monday's EU-China summit in Nanjing.
