Brussels, 19/10/2004 (Agence Europe) - The leader of the Socialist Group of the European Parliament, Martin Schulz, said on Tuesday following an interview with the future President of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso, that the latter should "think of some measures" which may lead to a "constructive solution" to the controversy surrounding the confirmation of Rocco Buttiglione to the post of future Commissioner for justice and home affairs. "Mr Barroso's position, as it was presented to me today, contains certain new elements which I cannot and will not make public, because I have promised confidentiality", Mr Schulz told the press, adding: "I get the impression that these new elements could contribute towards a constructive solution". Mr Barroso will address the Conference of the Presidents of the political groups on Thursday, to try to find agreement to allow his team to receive Parliament's investiture in Strasbourg on 27 October. Mr Schulz said that he had the impression that some of these "new elements" mentioned by Mr Barroso had not yet come definitively to fruition, and that they would require extra discussions within the future Commission. Whatever the case may be, "we both agreed that we would need a solution which was in the interest of both the future Commission and the European Parliament". Contributions to this solution must come from all sides, and "certainly also from Mr Buttiglione", said Mr Schulz. The role of the European Parliament must be respected, "because we cannot organise hearings of the Commissioners designate without drawing the consequences of the results of them- not only on Mr Buttiglione, but also on the other candidates", stressed Mr Schulz. "The President of the Commission shares this point of view", he noted. On the issue of whether the Socialist group would vote in favour of the Barroso Commission if it obtained changes to Mr Buttiglione's portfolio, Mr Schulz said that a group president "can never give guarantees about how individual members will vote (…). I cannot pre-judge the debate to be held by my group next Tuesday and Wednesday in Strasbourg [before the inaugural vote on 27 October: Ed]. I will take position on our voting intentions only once I know what initiatives are to be taken" by Mr Barroso at Thursday's important meeting. In the meantime, the position of the Socialist group remains unchanged, said Mr Schulz: the portfolios must be swapped round, otherwise he would recommend that the members of the Socialist group reject the new Commission as a whole (see EUROPE of 15 October, pages 3-4). The statements made by Mr Buttiglione are "unacceptable", including his affirmations of last weekend on single mothers, repeated Mr Schulz (see yesterday's EUROPE, p.5). Whereas various Catholics, starting with Mr Buttiglione himself, compared the offensive launched against him as an anti-Christian "inquisition", the leader of the Socialist group said that it was "strange to be accused of being an inquisitor by those who belong to the history of the inquisition".
In the meantime, the president of the EPP-ED group in the European Parliament, Hans-Gert Pöttering, who also spoke to Mr Barroso on Tuesday, said that he was confident that the future President of the Commission "would be able to bring a satisfactory answer to all subjects" which have attracted the criticism of various members of the Parliament.
On Monday evening, Mr Barroso also had a meeting with the leader of the ALDE group of the European Parliament, Graham Watson. According to certain sources, Mr Watson advised Mr Barroso either to change Mr Buttiglione's portfolio, or to withdraw the plank on civil liberties from his justice and home affairs portfolio.
On Tuesday, the spokesperson for Mr Barroso's transitional team said only that the meetings with the leaders of the European Parliament political groups had been useful, and constructive.
In Dublin on Monday evening, José Manual Barroso told the press that he did not wish to make "any specific comment on any specific member" of his future Commission.