Strasbourg, 18/11/2003 (Agence Europe) - Tuesday morning's debate at the European Parliament on the last annual programme of the Prodi Commission was used by many MEPs as a pretext to raise the matter of the Eurostat scandal in plenary, a subject already covered at the Committee on Budgetary Control (see p.12). Above all, open confrontation developed between Hans-Gert Pöttering and Romano Prodi over the "manifesto" published by Mr Prodi on the future of Europe, the former threatening to withdraw his group's trust from the president of the European Commission and the latter regretting that the president of the EPP-ED Group had his hands tied by the Eurosceptics in his group. (We shall be publishing the full text by Mr Prodi in EUROPE/Documents).
The debate had begun relatively serenely. The first shot was fired by Hans-Gert Pöttering (who had already expressed his views in Corriere della Sera: see EUROPE of 13 November, p.5). The CDU elected member said he did not criticise the content of the manifesto but the fact that it is addressed to a political movement, the Italian left. He insisted that the President of the Commission is the president of all Europeans and said he hoped that he would do what is necessary in order to maintain, until the end of his term of office, the confidence that the EPP-ED Group had shown in him by approving his investiture. Enrique Baron, President of the Socialist Group, retorted by saying he had the impression that this was a sort of "jealous crisis", "as if you had believed that Mr Prodi was yours, whereas he is now passing to the other side" (coming closer to the left). As a citizen, Mr Prodi is entitled to give his vision of the future of Europe, the Spanish Socialist added, while hoping that Romano Prodi would be "in a more advanced political and social position" in the future. "The logic behind the Commission work programme is exactly the same as that of the manifesto" by Romano Prodi, Monica Frassoni, Italian co-President of the Greens/EFA Group, said for her part (see below). Mr Prodi's document is also addressed to members of the EPP family who do not accept a "Conservative slide", Giovanni Procacci, elected member of Democratici (one of the centre-left components that hoped to form a united list at European elections: see yesterday's EUROPE) told Mr Pöttering. There was a different reaction from two deputies of parties belonging to the Berlusconi government, Roberta Angelilli (Alleanza nazionale) and Francesco Speroni (Lega Nord). In his "electoral" manifesto, Romano Prodi speaks of the Europe "of his dreams rather than dealing with the one that is here", the former said indignantly. The latter said: "these are good ideas, perhaps rather banal but that we can partially share", but it is unacceptable for Romano Prodi to address a "single party, a single political movement", by looking towards the olive tree which, "as far as I know, does not grow in Sweden or in Finland".
Prodi stresses his right to express his political views - Virulent reaction from Pöttering - Some MEPs attack Prodi while others defend him
Romano Prod's reply to Mr Pöttering sparked things off. Mr Prodi noted that Mr Pöttering had commented on his manifesto in Corriere della Sera without having read it. Otherwise, "you would have found in it the spirit of the founding fathers and the words that you said when you were not under the weight of your Eurosceptics", Mr Prodi said to applause from certain benches and "boos" from others. He told Mr Pöttering: "I wonder why remarks on such a European programme create so much trouble, why you are afraid of words and a project that you have always shared so strongly". This "absolutely legitimate" document expresses "my experience, my opinions and also my dreams for the future of Europe", Mr Prodi insisted, recalling that his predecessors at the Commission had taken part "intensely" in the activities of political parties in their own countries and that the Parliament, including EPP, called upon the president of the European Commission to be chosen in future by taking the results of European elections into account.
"I regret that you have not started out over the bridge that I have put in front of you", was Hans-Gert Pöttering's immediate reaction. He warned that the problem is not that of the manifesto but the call to present a list common to a number of political parties as it is not admissible for the president of the Commission to interfere in a country's domestic policy, all the more when it is the country of EU Presidency. "If you continue like that, you will no longer have my group's support", Mr Pöttering continued, applauded by his own. Enrique Baron, President of the Socialist Group, simply repeated that citizen Prodi has the right to express a political opinion, but that, if he wants to head the list at the European elections, he should resign. The co-president of the Greens/EFA Group, Daniel Cohn-Bendit, reminded Mr Pöttering that Mr Prodi has, since July this year, suggested presenting a single centre-left list at the next European elections. Mr Cohn-Bendit remarked that it is only now that Mr Pöttering has noticed that Mr Prodi is involved in politics in Italy. He added it is absurd that Pöttering should "sermon him on morals" when "you want to protect Silvio Berlusconi", who is a bad president of the European Council; let Mr Prodi choose for himself which bridge to cross. Cristiana Muscardini (Alleanza Nazionale) completely changed the tone by warning Mr Prodi: we respect you as President of the Commission, but "we ask you to be the President of the Commission"; you can get involved in national politics, but not as President of the Commission (she also commented: "Mr Pöttering may have two souls, but it is perhaps better not to have any"). The Chairman of the GUE/NGL, Francis Wurtz, would have preferred left and right to oppose each other "on Union policies rather than on the career plans" of politicians. Graham Watson, Chairman of the Liberal group, admitted that there is a "battle" underway between the President of the European Council and the President of the Commission, and, whilst allowing the latter the right to a political past and future, he was disappointed at the content of the debate. President Cox, summing up, did the same, hoping for a return to serenity once the Union has faced its challenges such as the Constitutional Treaty and enlargement.
Priorities of the 2004 programme
Presenting his programme, Romano Prodi said that "the project for a bigger and stronger Union is at hand", stating that after two difficult economic years, "the worst seems to be behind us" and that "a little" optimism is coming back. Mr Prodi spoke of better growth prospects in the EU (see EUROPE of 15 November, p.11) and the acceding countries (+3.8% in 2004, according to forecasts), the upturn in growth in the United States (but he remained concerned at America's strong deficit, which may collapse due to tax cuts and Iraq), the fact that news from Japan was "good at last", and that growth in Asia is forecast at 6.6% in 2004. Outlining the programme (see EUROPE/Documents Nr 2334 dated 6 November and Nr 2335/2336 dated 7 November), Mr Prodi stressed the fact that there are 73 new proposals, far fewer than in recent years. And, pointing out that this programme's priorities stem from inter-institutional dialogue involving the EP, he announced that the Commissioner responsible for relations with the Parliament, Loyola de Palacio, will discuss these priorities with the parliamentary committees next April (the presentation of the programme for 2005- a responsibility of the next European Commission- will be postponed to December 2004, he added). Of these priorities, Mr Prodi spoke in particular of the future financial perspectives, warning that "time is pressing", and "before it can count, the policy must have primacy", and it is therefore particularly important that the objectives are clear. Mr Prodi also reaffirmed his commitment to keeping one Commissioner per Member State, saying: I disagree with those who think that the portfolios of the future Commission will be reduced to "about a dozen". Between May and November 2004, we will have a Commission of thirty members, even if the ten new Member States have no portfolio, said Mr Prodi, insisting that Commissioners are also "the face of Europe" in their country, and "I am convinced that a Commission with 30 members, and then of 25 members (as of November 2004) can work very, very well".
Commission's programme: criticism from Monica Frassoni and Nick Clegg
Asked by several MEPs about the Stability Pact (such as Hans-Gert Pöttering, who asked the Commission to be just as strict with the large countries as with the smaller ones), Romano Prodi reiterated that although the Pact has been "made more intelligent and flexible", it remained "the basis of the Euro's defence". As to Mr Pöttering's reference to Germany, he commented, "I remember the eyebrows of the German Finance Minister (a reference to Theo Waigel's bushy eyebrows: Ed) imposing the Pact on me when I was Prime Minister...".
Of the MEPS who spoke about the substance of the Commission's programme, British Liberal Democrat Nick Clegg (who wanted to say something concrete, next to his colleagues' "pyrotechnics" on more delicate subjects), regretted the "vagueness" of the Commission's priorities: it is as if there is "no real choice", he complained. Co-chairman of Greens/FTA, Monica Frassoni, repeated the appeal to the Commission to propose a "climatic Stability Pact", and regretted that the environmental element of the European growth initiative was a kind of "Cinderella" (we want more transparency in the funding criteria of the EIB's initiative, and greater involvement for the Parliament, she repeated). Recalling that Parliament had asked Commissioner Reding for a proposed directive or "at least a Green Paper on media concentration and freedom of information", Ms Frassoni wondered: "why can the European Commission do nothing?". French Socialist Pervenche Berès particularly hoped that, on growth, the priority would be given to employment, and reiterated her regrets that economic governance is not taken greater account of. Italian Radical Marco Pannella noted that there were only 58 MEPs present, not even a third of the whole. He commented ironically: we talk here of the "state of the Union", like "in that Washington your Europe hates". He slammed "the Europe of Vichy, semi-pacifist Europe", which seems to think "the Israelis and the Palestinians do not share the same humanism".