Brussels, 08/11/2004 (Agence Europe) - After the EPP-ED and PES Groups (see EUROPE of 6 November, p.9), the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats of Europe (ALDE) and the Union for a Europe of Nations (UEN) welcomed the reshuffling of the Barroso team decided last week, while the Greens/European Free Alliance were disappointed that the reshuffle was, at the end of the day, very limited.
In a press release, ALDE Group President Graham Watson notes that, with Rocco Buttiglione gone, "this Commission has lost its weakest link". The British Liberal Democrat welcomes the speed and skill with which José Manuel Barroso "worked to address the concerns of the European Parliament" but warned: "the Parliament must not rush the work of subjecting it to proper scrutiny", and the hearings of the three Commissioners will be "rigorous" (see also p.14). From the same group, German national Alexander Graf Lambsdorff states in a press release that, "for the Liberals, it is a success all the way along the line", since their political family is strengthened by the reshuffling of the future Commission. Above all, the FDP member welcomes the designation of Latvian Liberal Andris Piebalgs to Energy.
Brian Crowley, President of the UEN Group, is also pleased to note that Mr Barroso acted "swiftly and decisively". The Irish MEP says: "The European Parliament has now put in place a process which, barring unforeseen circumstances, will approve the European Commission on November 18th next". Andrew Duff of Britain (who is preparing a report on the process for approving the European Commission) states in the electronic edition of The Financial Times of 5 November that this crisis "breathes democratic life into the debate over the ratification of the Constitution". "Everyone should agree to reduce the size of the Commission next time around", he said, moreover. On the subject of the three Commissioners to be heard, he welcomes Mr Buttiglione's "honourable" withdrawal and his replacement by the "modest" Franco Frattini. He notes that Andris Piebalgas, "who, despite being a Liberal, has defected to join the Christian Democrats in order to placate them for the sacrifice of Mr Buttiglione"; and, finally, on the performance to be expected from the "ex-Communist Kovacs" on how he will cope on fiscal harmonisation, he said: "Perhaps he will surprise us".
Speaking in a more qualified manner, Daniel Cohn-Bendit, Co-President of the Greens/EFA Group, notes in a press release that Mr Barroso "offered a minimal solution" to the problems of his "contested" college of Commissioners. Mr Barroso presented solutions for only three cases out of six, the German Green member regrets (his group had called for changes to be made to the portfolios of Commissioners-designate for Competition Neelie Kroes, Agriculture Mariann Fischer Boel and Environment Stavros Dimas. In some cases, "Mr Barroso has clearly folded under pressure from national governments", Mr Cohn-Bendit deplores, insisting above all on the case of Ms Kroes. He calls on the Commissioner-designate to present, as rapidly as possible, a complete list of "all the companies for which she was undertaking lobbying activities".