Reject Rocco row hits EU executive

Rocco Buttiglione has been rejected for the EU’s justice job by MEPs as a row over the line-up of José Manuel Barroso’s European Commission hots up.

A European Parliament veto of Buttiglione has angered Rome, infuriated right-wingers and gives Barroso a major political headache.

The outspoken Italian has angered MEPs with his strong anti-immigration stance and conservative Catholic views on gays and the family.

Italian leader Silvio Berlusconi has hit out at a left-wing anti-Catholic witchhunt – Buttiglione is close friend of the Pope.

“It reflects the crude propagandist nature of the personal arguments put forward by the leftist faction,” he said.

“[They] question the freedom of conscience and opinion of a Catholic commissioner, contesting the distinction he makes between morality and the law.”

Headache

Before a Monday vote in the parliament’s justice committee Barroso was braced for a request asking Buttiglione to be reposted to a job less sensitive in terms of his political complexion.

But in a surprise move MEPs voted Buttiglione down, giving a blanket rejection to his commission nomination.

The snub gives Barroso a problem – the parliament’s view on an individual commissioner is non-binding but if the Brussels chief ignores MEPs he may sour inter-institutional relations.

At the same time the clock is ticking and room to manoeuvre for the former Portuguese leader is limited.

Italy has reacted furiously to the vote, leaving Rome, and Berlusconi, highly unlikely to recall Buttiglione and suggest an MEP-friendly candidate.

Others under fire

Barroso meets with senior MEPs next week and takes receipt of a full file on his team on October 21 giving just six days before parliament votes on the commission.

To compound the issue another four commissioners-designate are in the firing line: Neelie Kroes, Mariann Fischer Boel, Ingrida Udre and László Kovács.

Political in-fighting between the parliament’s largest centre-right grouping, Socialists and other opponents to Buttiglione could see tit-for-tat rejections – perhaps concentrated on the centre-left EU energy chief Kovács.

Buttiglione’s views are mainstream among parliament’s powerful Christian Democrat right

German centre-right MEP Eva Klampt fanned the flames of the row by arguing the vote was “discrimination against a man who has a personal religious belief".

“[Buttiglione] made it very clear there should be no discrimination for anyone, not for homosexuality, not for race or for religion,” she said.

In-fighting MEPS

The parliament’s centre-right European People’s Party group backed the Italian but after Socialists, Liberals and Greens voted to reshuffle Buttiglione took a different line.

In a second vote on Buttiglione’s nomination the EPP then opposed him in any commission job: UK Liberal MEP Sarah Ludford accuses right-wingers of playing games.

“The EPP behaved in a petulant manner, cutting off their nose to spite their face. While Liberals, Socialists and Greens were ready to see Mr Buttiglione allocated another portfolio, the Right as bad losers voted to deprive him of a Commission post altogether!,” she said.

In a vote on Barroso’s EU executive, parliament is faced with a simple choice: to back the commission as a collective body or to throw the whole lot out.

Unpopular as Buttiglione is, his nomination and controversy over his orthodox conservative views are unlikely to sink Barroso’s ship.

Horse-trading

Senior Socialist MEPs will ask Barroso to move Buttiglione to another EU policy role but reserve judgment on the commission as a whole – for now.

“We certainly could not support Mr Buttiglione in the proposed or  modified portfolio,” Socialist vice-presidents Hannes Swoboda and Jan Marinus Wiersma in a statement.

“It is now up to Mr Barroso to reflect on the deep unease about some of the commissioners-designate not just in the Socialist group but right across the house.”

Support or opposition from the centre-left, parliament’s second biggest group with 27 per cent of MEPs, will be critical for Barroso in the days ahead.

No bed of roses

The centre-right commission president can rely on EPP backing alone, with 37 per cent of the vote, and may be pressed to compromise.

“We have many questions to put to Mr Barroso at a meeting in parliament next week and we advise our group to take the final decision only after we have heard what information and clarification he has to offer,” said Swoboda and Marinus Wiersma.

Barroso is waiting until the parliament gives a verdict on all 25 members of his EU-line up and the prerogative to make changes is his and his alone.

“We did not expect there would only be roses and that we would have to deal with some thorny issues as well, but the president will wait until he has the full picture,” said a spokesman.

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