By Brian Johnson - 14th October 2004
The escalating row over the appointment of Rocco Buttiglione, the commissioner-designate for justice and home affairs is threatening to sour relations between the European Parliament and incoming European Commission chief, José Manuel Barroso.
The former Italian European affairs minister has outraged large sections of the European parliament with his conservative views on homosexuality and women.
Leader of the socialist group, Martin Schulz warned on Thursday that his group viewed Buttiglione’s appointment as “entirely unsuitable.”
He said Barroso must change the justice and civil liberties portfolio responsibilities or face the consequences.
“We will propose that the socialist group vote against the confirmation of the new commission,” said Schulz.
And the German socialist also berated Barroso for comments made to the media during the commission chief’s current tour of European capitals.
“It is not acceptable to us that Mr Barroso should make statements to the media concerning parliament’s views without speaking to us beforehand,” he said.
A straw poll of MEPs to be published on Monday in the Parliament Magazine shows a majority of deputies in favour of re-assigning Buttiglione to another commission portfolio.
“The hearing revealed a politician with an anachronistic world view…he ought to be moved to a different portfolio,” said socialist MEP, Claude Moraes.
Barroso is set to meet parliamentary group leaders for face to face discussions next Thursday, with MEPs set to vote on the new commission on 27 October.
And with MEPs from the smaller political groups threatening to side with the socialists in voting down the new commission, it appears likely that the commission president will offer the parliament some kind of concession on Buttiglione.
But how extensive any concessions will be, without weakening Barroso's own position remains to be seen.
“The final outcome will exert a large influence on the relationship between the two institutions over the next five years,” said one Brussels insider.
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