Strasbourg, 14/03/2006 (Agence Europe) - The president of the Socialist Group of the European Parliament, Martin Schulz, has personally written to the president of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso, and to the Heads of Government of the EPP family, calling on them to boycott the summit of the European People's Party in Rome on 30 and 31 March as a sign of protest against the electoral alliance formed between Silvio Berlusconi and Alessandra Mussolini (MEP) with a view to the elections next month in Italy. In a press release, the German Social Democrat states that the natural follow-up to this would be an alliance with the Movimento sociale italiano-Fiamma Tricolore whose leader, Luca Romagnoli (also MEP), denies the existence of Nazi gas chambers.
Wilfried Martens' anger was aroused by this. He considered the initiative “totally unacceptable“. “The unprecedented intervention of Mr Schulz in the internal affairs of the EPP is totally unfounded in EU political practice. (…) Mr Schulz is not in a position to criticise the democratic credentials of our member parties. I hope that Mr Schuz is in a position to confirm the democratic credentials of all members of the Socialist Group”, Mr Martens states in a press release. He also says: “Apparently, it seems that Mr Schulz has acted on his own initiative - without the consent of the party of European Socialists (PES) - and, by doing so, threatens to jeopardise any working relations among European-level parties”.