By Bruno Waterfield - 27th October 2004
A crisis over the line-up of the European Commission is to overshadow the EU constitution – again.
Europe’s leaders gather in Rome to sign the EU constitution on Friday, firing the starting pistol on a two year ratification effort.
But the symbolic ceremony of unity will be marred by discord over the Brussels executive – and not for the first time.
As the constitution itself was negotiated amid lengthy and acrimonious talks in Brussels a final deal was done amid fights over who should lead the EU’s executive.
José Manuel Barroso emerged from the wreckage after bitter wrangling blew the EU constitution good news story out of the headlines.
Key to his success was the backing of centre-right governments and EU leaders such as Italy’s Silvio Berlusconi.
Barroso's withdrawal of his commission team in the face of a European Parliament defeat looks set to open new battles over plum policy portfolios, again stealing the EU constitution’s limelight.
The bad luck is compounded for Rome, Italy failed to seal a constitution deal under its EU presidency.
Fall-out from the failure hit Berlusconi hard last December, but the Italian leader hoped to salvage something from a Rome signing ceremony.
And to make things worse, the latest crisis comes to his doorstep and is centred on his choice for Italy’s commissioner Rocco Buttiglione.
“To think I fought so that the European constitution is signed on Friday in Rome and that I fought to impose José Manuel Barroso in Brussels… and now, this jinx… what misery!,” he said on Wednesday.
Worried that the row, and a row over an Italian, could dominate the signing of a new Treaty of Rome, Berlusconi asked Buttiglione ot make a “noble gesture”.
But the outspoken Catholic, whose orthodox views on gays, women and the family triggered an EU inter-institutional crisis with the parliament, has not – yet – played the game.
“I am in peace with my conscience,” he replied according to press reports.
Buttiglione has, so far, refused to step down, and has, so far, only offered himself up for one alternative post to the EU’s justice job – competition.
But the pressure will be on the former minister for Europe to do the decent thing, and, the Italian press reports, other candidates are waiting in the wings.
Italian foreign minister Franco Frattini or Lombardy’s regional president Roberto Formigoni, another pious Catholic, are tipped as replacements.
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