Brussels, 13/10/2004 (Agence Europe) - During its extraordinary meeting of 13 October, the Conference of Presidents of the political groups at the European Parliament noted the letters from the chairpersons of the parliamentary committees on the hearings of the Commissioners-designate to the Barroso team. The letters will be formally passed on to the president-designate of the European Commission so that he may make the conclusions he considers appropriate and make his response known to the Conference of Presidents scheduled for 21 October. This was all that the President of the European Parliament, Josep Borrell, told the press on Wednesday after the meeting. He simply noted that no common position had been reached at the Conference of Presidents (the day before there was talk of "mediation" by the presidents of the EPP-ED and PES Groups, Hans-Gert Pöttering and Martin Schulz, to seek to retrieve the two unsuccessful candidates: Rocco Buttiglione (right) and Laszlo Kovacs (left): see yesterday's EUROPE, p.4).
A "consistent majority" of leaders of political groups did not believe it appropriate to enter into the details today, and the Conference of Presidents did not analyse the possible alternatives for the case of Rocco Buttiglione, President Borrell added when questioned by reporters on the consequences of the Italian Justice and Home Affairs Minister's rejection. This was the only parliamentary committee which voted as, in the others, there were simply "assessments" without voting, he pointed out (the letters from the committees were to be diffused on the internet site: http: //http://www.europarl.eu.int/hearings/commission/2004_comm/default_en.htm ). The discussion of the Conference of Presidents was "civilised and normal" without "threats", Mr Borell commented in response to questions on the cross attacks by left and right-wing political groups.
The ball is now in the court of President Barroso, since, apparently within the Conference of Presidents, only the presidents of the Greens/EFA Group, Monica Frassoni, and the GUE/NGL Group, François Wurtz, are said to have wanted to discuss at least the controversial cases and reach guidelines for the President-designate. If José Manuel Barroso does not take into account the positions of the parliamentary committees, would you, as President of the Parliament, say that "this is a good start"? To this question, Josep Borrell replied saying: the process is not yet over and "I am sure that Mr Barroso will take the results of the parliamentary committees into consideration". In July, you had voted for the candidate, Barroso. In October, will you be voting for the Barroso Commission if its president does not take the Parliament's position into account? To this question, Josep Borrell simply replied that he would give his answer in due course.
Mr Borrell also admitted that the situation today is quite unlike anything that has happened before. It is the first time that a parliamentary committee explicitly votes for the rejection of a Commissioner-designate after the hearings, which means that the Parliament and Commission are on "politically unexplored ground". However, Mr Borrell says, these hearings had "democratic value" as they allowed the public to know a little more about the future Commissioners.
Mr Borrell also pointed out that the idea of holding another Conference of Presidents before the meeting on 21 October with Mr Barroso had been rejected on Wednesday by the majority of the leaders of political groups.
In answer to questions on his recent comments on French radio regarding the views of Rocco Buttiglione on family life and homosexuality (EUROPE of 8 October, p.9), Mr Borrell explained that, in his institutional role of European Parliament president, he must be extremely cautious which is why he has never said he would consider Mr Buttiglione as a suitable candidate for the justice portfolio at the European Commission. However, he added, it just so happens that, the same day as Mr Buttiglione made these remarks in parliamentary committee, the Spanish government presented a draft law authorising same-sex marriages. He noted that, as far as he could see, Rocco Buttiglione could hardly be Justice Minster in such a government.
Monica Frassoni attacks "collusion" between big groups
The Co-president of the Green/EFA, Monica Frassoni reacted sharply to how the Conference of President functioned. In a press release today she said that despite the seriousness of the shortcomings, they had been witnesses to the continuation of a technical agreement between the two big groups the EPP-ED and the PES and their "collusion", which was also supported by the Liberals in favour of the new Commission. She said that the Greens regretted that the presidents of the EPP-ED, PES and ALDE had not agreed to President Borrell's idea of "explicitly citing the cases of problems involving the Commissioners-designate, including those of Rocco Buttiglione and Laszlo Kovacs". She said that they now had to put pressure on Barroso but had, on the contrary, been wasting precious time.
Polemic involving Rocco Buttiglione continues but he "Udre" case is also raised
On Tuesday evening in London where he met Tony Blair, José Manuel Barroso was asked by the press to speak on the subject of the Commissioners-designate Buttiglione and Kovacs. Barroso confirmed that he had full confidence in these two members of the future Commission and explained that the recommendations from the parliamentary committees were not yet formal decision from the European Parliament. Asked about the ideas expressed by Rocco Buttiglione on homosexuality, Mr Barroso indicated that his Commission was very liberal on this question and there would be no discrimination. He added that the same tolerance should be applied to different view points.
In an interview in Corriere della Sera on Wednesday MEP for Democratie 66 Sophia Helena in't Veld (ALDE, Netherlands), who had posed Buttiglione a lot of questions during his hearing said that "what would have happened if Erdogan had used the same words on gays or marriage? The Commission would certainly have not given the greenlight to Turkey. But as it was expressed by an Italian minister from a founding country, we should not speak out?" She asked how they could Mr Buttiglione when he wanted to "withdraw homosexuality from all sources of discrimination in the Charter for Fundamental Rights". In Italy the commentary from Mirko Tremaglia, minister of Alleanza nazionale for "Italians throughout the world", caused a political storm. In a press statement, Mr Tremaglia deplored "poor Europe. Queers are in the majority". The left but also Alessandra Mussolini (who left AN to present her candidacy on her own list) asked for Mr Tremaglia's resignation. Gianni Pittella from Democratici di sinistra was sad to point out that "it was sad, shameful". Rocco Buttiglione's reaction according to the Italian press said that Tremaglia had certainly "exaggerated".
At the EPP-ED group at the European Parliament Joachim Würmeling alluded to the problem regarding the Commissioner-designate for taxation, Ingrida Udre from Latvia. The complex legal situation in her country could finally prevent any clarification regarding the affair involving funding to her party, which meant that she could not be definitively cleared of any doubts about her integrity, he said in a press statement (for the hearing, see EUROPE 9 October p 7). According to the CSU MEP (a party whose MEPs were noticed for their zeal in cases connected with fraud), Mr Barroso should not appoint Udre to such a sensitive portfolio as taxation and customs.