By Henrietta Billings - 18th October 2004
European Parliament's Socialists have held "constructive" discussions with José Manuel Barroso over his contested EU executive line-up.
Top item on the Tuesday meeting's agenda was the future of Rocco Buttiglione and his controversial appointment as the EU's justice and home affairs chief.
Centre-left MEPs warned last week that they would vote against Barroso's entire European Commission unless Buttiglione was withdrawn from the justice job.
The outspoken Buttiglione outraged MEPs with his conventional Catholic views on gays, women and family.
Although Martin Schulz would not elaborate on the detail of talks, he told journalists that "long and intense discussions" with Barroso had been "constructive".
"It is my impression that the tone of the discussions was such that it can be translated as a constructive approach," he said.
The German socialist MEP cautioned Barroso that Socialists may vote to block his commission if Buttiglione's position was not changed - but he did not rule out the possibility of a "constructive solution".
"There was an attempt to find a constructive solution and I hope we will be able to find a constructive solution, but that depends on the different parties and Buttiglione himself,” he said.
Barroso is due to address senior MEPs on Thursday where he will explain how he intends to respond to various demands made by parliament committees in letters of evaluation on the hearings of commissioners-designate - in particular Buttiglione.
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