Strasbourg, 13/03/2001 (Agence Europe) - During the opening of the European Parliament's plenary session in Strasbourg, German Social Democrat Martin Schulz asked President Nicole Fontaine whether she was ready, in the "interest of the house" and regarding the rumours going round, to answer three precise questions. These questions are: - As you had doubts as to the competence of the Spanish High Court in forwarding to the EP the requests for lifted parliamentary immunity of Forza Italia MEPs Silvio Berlusconi and Marcello Dell'Utri, why did you not question the Parliament's legal service? - Why were matters not pursued with the Spanish authorities when no answer was given by them seven months after they were asked who was competent? - Are you today willing to refer the matter to the legal committee, competent for dealing with immunity questions?
Ms Fontaine answered the three questions by saying: (1) Referral to the legal committee is a decision that is up to the EP president who must assure it is admissible. "I had no further doubt", she added, noting that "all the requests have always come from government authorities except in the case of Portugal. As far as Spain is concerned, the requests have always been forwarded by the Permanent Representation (with the EU) or the Justice Minister". (2) The chef de cabinet wrote "on my instructions". "It is not customary to relaunch issues with national authorities", said Ms Fontaine, stressing that the question is such a complex one that the Spanish national authorities considered it preferable to refer the matter to the State Council. (3) "It would be particularly insolent" to refer the matter to the legal committee "at a time when the State Council is referred to", said Ms Fonatine. (See also EUROPE of 10 March, p.5).
"You acted perfectly correctly and you have our group's confidence", Ms Fontaine was told by the president of the EPP/ED group, German Hans-Gert Pöttering (CDU), who accused Mr Schulz of wanting to help the Italian left before the elections on 13 May with the support of the "former Stalinian Cossutta". "After Austria, Italy", exclaimed Mr Pöttering, who reproached Mr Schulz for attacking a whole country by denying it the right to choose who should govern it.
"Someone who criticises a government or a party are not attacking the whole country. Only Haider thinks the opposite", said Austrian Social Democrat Johannes Swoboda, taking the defence of his colleague Schulz. Of Schulz he stressed that "anyone who knows him knows that he gives proof of great moderation by raising these three questions". The president of the GUE/NGL group, Francis Wurtz, regretted that Mr Pöttering had insulted Armando Cossutta, who is a member of the group. "When one interrogates a president and gets on the nerves of a leader of a group, it means we are on the right track", noted Mr Schulz, affirming that he simply hoped that everyone would be treated in the same manner, "whether he be called Berlusconi, Dell'Utri, Pöttering or Schulz".