Brussels, 03/02/2004 (Agence Europe) - The confirmation of the launch of a common list with several different components from the Italian centre left, with Romano Prodi heading the steering committee has caused a lot of commotion within one of its main groups, Democratici di sinistra, DS (the names of the candidates on the common list and the programme will be made public on 13-14 February in Rome: EUROPE 29 January, p.6). Achille Occhetto, founder member of the PDS and former member of the Communist Party, confirmed that he would be on the autonomous Olive Alliance list, the Cittadini dell'Ulivo, with Antonio di Pietro (former judge and MEP from l'Italia dei Valori, will sit at the European Parliament as part of the Liberal group). Mr Di Pietro is committed to being on this list, 75% of candidates will be directly chosen by electors on the web-site girotondi. Another DS candidate on another list will be the philosopher Gianni Vattimo, who is due to decide between the Di Pietro and Partito dei comunisti italiani (Pdci) lists
Many current DS members have announced that they are leaving: Giorgio Napolitano, president of the constitutional committee, (EUROPE 8 January, p.6, and 14 January p.3), but also the former union leader Bruno Trentin, and Fiorella Ghilardotti, Elena Paciotti, magistrate (and very committed "Convention Member"). On the same day, L'Unità indicated that the DS would be presenting Tommaso Padoa-Schioppa, member of the board of governors of the European Central Bank. Pasqualina Napolitano, MEP for thirteen years, according to the Corriere della Sera on 2 February, would be prepared to leave. Asked about a new candidacy candidature of Walter Veltroni, the active Mayor of Rome, Ms Napolitano explained that, " it's impossible to do two jobs at once", she said, noting that in 1999 Mr Veltroni was no longer Mayor of Rome. She also hoped that, "the Prodi list will not forget women: the women's delegation is the last for promoting women".
At Forza Italia, the leader of the party and prime minister Silvio Berlusconi confirmed that he wanted to change the European electoral law, notably to take into account the regional and European elections of 13 June, and for getting rid of the system of preferences.