Back off Buttiglione, says Vitorino

MEPs should not go to war over Rocco Buttiglione, says current EU justice commissioner Antonio Vitorino.

José Manuel Barroso told the European Parliament on Thursday that the left-leaning justice and home affairs chief had backed Buttiglione to be his replacement.

Barroso was facing off MEPs angry over comments on gay sin made by Buttiglione during parliament hearings for his new job.

The right-wing Italian’s conventional Catholic views have raised a question mark over his commitment to the EU’s anti-discrimination policies.

But Barroso assured MEPs that he had consulted the highly regarded Vitorino over Buttiglione’s merits for the justice job.

“I wanted to listen to the present commissioner’s view, that’s Mr Vitorino, a secular, Portuguese Socialist. And he said I should take Mr Buttiglione as commissioner for justice after looking at his CV,” he told journalists.

In a lukewarm statement, Vitorino fails to expressly back Buttiglione but does support Barroso - “especially as concerns a proactive agenda on anti-discrimination on grounds of gender and sexual orientation”.

“Mr Vitorino expressed his total agreement with the opinion expressed by president Barroso that personal moral beliefs should not interfere in the definition of the commission's policy,” said the statement.

Taking a different tack from his Socialist colleagues in the parliament, Vitorino predicts “that ongoing consultations… will allow the present difficulties to be overcome”.

Barroso faces an October 27 vote on his whole commission and some MEPs are threatening to sink his entire executive unless Buttiglione is removed.

“Mr Vitorino thinks that it is not in the interest of anyone to create a situation of institutional crisis, because a fully fledged commission is fundamental,” said the statement.

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