Brussels, 04/05/2001 (Agence Europe) - European Parliament president Nicole Fontaine was again forced, on Wednesday at the opening of the EP plenary session in Brussels, to answer questions on the affair of the lifting of the parliamentary immunity of the Forza Italia member, Silvio Berlusconi, accused in a case of tax fraud in Spain. The debate on the issue went on for almost an hour, thereby delaying the beginning of work and the address by Commissioner Nielson who had come to present the Commission's communication on relations between the EU and the United Nations (see EUROPE of 3 May, p.8).
British Labour MEP Richard Corbett, notably, asked Ms. Fontaine about the measures she intended taking following Ms. Garaud's prevention from going to Spain to undertake the fact-finding mission as desired by the Conference of Presidents of the EP. He also placed emphasis on the fact the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe had reacted with greater alacrity to the request for the lifting of immunity that it had just received (see EUROPE of 21 April, p.4). Ms. Fontaine explained that, following her husband's death, Ms. Garaud had not been able to go to Spain and that Parliament had anyway to await the conclusions of the Spanish State Council before acting. She recalled that the request made of the Parliamentary Assembly had been forwarded through diplomatic channels, stressing that that had not been the case for the request made of the EP, and exclaimed: "who's been taken for a ride?".
The main protagonists of the debate that followed were the same as usual. Thus, the German President of the EPP/ED Group, Hans-Gert Poettering took the defence of the EP President and placed emphasis on the fact that attention paid to this issue was solely linked to the general elections in Italy. The Spanish President of the Socialist Group, Enrique Baron said he could not understand how such an issue had been able to remain nine months in the draws of the EP Presidency and stressed that, at the time, the electoral campaign in which Berlusconi is currently taking part had not even begun. The Presidents of the GUE/NGL, France's Francis Wurtz, and ELDR, Ireland's Pat Cox placed emphasis on the responsibility of the Spanish authorities, stating that the President and Parliament were "victims" in this affair.
In a press release, the leader of the French ultra-Liberal, Alain Madelin, also waxed indignant regarding the words of the members of the Socialist Group to try to "make people believe that EP President Nicole Fontaine had tried to smother this request". Mr. Madelin and the other members of the Liberal Democracy speak of a "crude manoeuvre" and "obvious bad faith". They remain full-square behind Ms. Fontaine.
Furthermore, on Thursday, the Committee on Constitutional Affairs decided to appoint Britain's Andrew Duff rapporteur for issues linked to the lifting of the parliamentary immunity of Berlusconi and Dell'Uri. The report drawn up by Mr. duff for the Conference of Presidents will have to clarify the relevant national authority to make such a request and propose improvements to Parliament's procedures in the matter. Mr. Duff intends handing in his report before the parliamentary break.