EUROPEAN UNION:
Crucial Parliamentary Vote Delayed
Stefania Bianchi
Incoming European Commission president Jose
Manuel Durão Barroso faced further embarrassment Wednesday after he was
forced to ask the European Parliament to delay a crucial vote over his
new team of commissioners.
BRUSSELS, Oct 27 (IPS) - Barroso said he needed ''more time'' to choose a European Union (EU)
executive that the European Parliament would approve.
''I need more time to look at this issue and to consult with the European
Council further so that we can have strong support for the new
Commission,'' he told MEPs in Strasbourg Wednesday (Oct. 27).
Referring to earlier indications that MEPs would veto the new commission,
Barroso said he thought it best to delay the ballot.
''I have come to the conclusion that if a vote is taken today, the
outcome will not be positive for European institutions or for the
European project. In these circumstances, I have decided not to submit a
new commission for your approval today,'' he added.
The European Parliament is the only directly elected EU body. The
European Commission is the EU executive arm. The new commission was due
to take over from Nov. 1, but this delay means that incumbent commission
leader Romano Prodi and his administration will continue on a caretaker
basis until a new team is approved.
However, there is no clear protocol on how to proceed as this is the
first time that such an incident has occurred.
EU law does not allow the European Parliament to accept or reject
individual members of the commission - it can only veto an entire team.
Josep Borrell, president of the European Parliament, said both the
commission and parliament were now ''exploring political virgin
territory'' because the vote delay was in breach of EU rules and
regulations.
Speaking to journalists after the decision, Barroso declined to enter
into detail about what he plans to do about the current commission line-
up.
He said he would consult parliament and EU leaders responsible for
nominating the commissioners, before putting forward new proposals ''in
the next few weeks''.
However, Barroso is confident that he will still get support for a new
line-up.
''I believe that stopping the clock is the best way to find a solution in
the best interests of Europe and its people,'' he said.
The decision follows weeks of controversy and disagreement over Italian
Rocco Buttiglione, the controversial nominee for the post of justice and
civil liberties commissioner who has expressed controversial views on
homosexuality and women.
Barroso had urged Socialist and Liberal MEPs Tuesday (Oct. 26) not to
vote against the new commission.
The socialists number 200 in a parliament with 732 members, the Liberals
88.
However, his appeal appears to have fallen on deaf ears as 195 members of
the 200-strong Socialist group indicated Tuesday evening that they would
vote against the 25-strong commission. So too did 50 of the 88 members of
the Liberals and all 42 Green MEPs.
Meanwhile the 268-strong conservative European People's Party - the
largest in parliament - continues to firmly support Buttiglione and
insists that the 56-year old devout Catholic is the right man to run EU
policies on civil liberties, justice, asylum and immigration.
Buttiglione, a member of the Italian Christian Democratic party and a
friend of Pope John Paul II, caused outrage on the left with his
conservative Roman Catholic views on homosexuality and marriage.
His nomination was rejected by the parliament's civil liberties committee
Oct. 11 after he told a parliamentary hearing earlier that he believed
homosexuality was a ''sin'' and that ''marriage was for women to have
children and be protected by their husbands''.
Buttiglione was also reported as having said Oct. 15 that single mothers
were ''not very good'' people. He later said he had been quoted out of
context, and that he was the victim of a ''hate campaign''.
This is the first time a parliamentary committee has voted against a
nominee.
According to the Italian daily Corriere della Sera, Buttiglione refused
calls by Silvio Berlusconi, Italian prime minister, earlier this week to
withdraw his candidacy to head the sensitive portfolio.
The newspaper said Wednesday that Berlusconi was responding to requests
by Barroso.
Barroso it seems is left with two options - either to reshuffle the
current commission line-up and put Buttiglione in a less controversial
portfolio or to ask Berlusconi to propose an alternative candidate.
Some MEPs have welcomed Barroso's decision to withdraw his commission
Speaking in Strasbourg, Liberal leader Graham Watson said the dispute had
tested the strength of the democratically-elected European Parliament.
''Today this house on the River Rhine grows in stature. Its will was
tested: its will prevailed. At no time did we ask for anything more than
is our right. We asked for no prerogative that is not laid down in the
law of Europe,'' he said.
''We asked for our considered judgement to be treated with respect. At
every stage, our willingness to stand by that judgement was doubted, and
mistrusted and tested,'' he added.
The institutional dispute has forced a premature test of Barroso's
authority and has strained his relations with the parliament just days
before he is due to take over the commission next month.
The argument is not a good start to the five-year term for Barroso's
commission. Barroso was hoping to kick off his ambitious agenda of
promoting economic growth with a strong set of commissioners.
(END/2004)
