Brussels, 02/09/2009 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday 2 September, Jacques Barrot spoke out in defence against attacks made the day before by Silvio Berlusconi, President of the Council of Ministers of Italy, who threatened to block the European Council if members of the European Commission or their spokespersons continued to criticise member states. Mr Berlusconi had reproached a spokesman for having spoken out against Italy on its responsibility in an incident involving migrants sent back to Libya. In defence of his spokesman, Mr Barrot said: “I am not here to talk twaddle. I am here to give information. When there is a problem affecting member states, we have to ask for information, as I did early this summer with Italy”. “I do not wish to waste time over a possible dispute on the matter of commissioners and their spokespersons. It is not worth the trouble for comments that do not seem to have any importance”, the commissioner added. He went on to say: “I have no personal reproaches to make. If there is one thing I cannot put up with it is inaction”. Mr Barrot explained that, if he had been contacted by the Italian authorities on this subject, he would have acted very firmly. “It is not enough to blame and condemn out of hand. One must be aware of how difficult these issues are”, he concluded. The day before, Mr Berlusconi, reported by ANSA, had said that “only the president of the European Commission or his direct spokesman should make statements” since those made by other members of the EU executive “give the opposition in each country ammunition which has no reason to exist”. He said he would take the matter up at the next EU summit, saying: “My position will be clear and precise: we will not give our vote, thus blocking the function of the European Council, unless it is clear that no commissioner or their spokespersons can speak in public about any issue”. He went on to add: “We intend to ask that any commissioner or spokesperson who insists on doing so be definitively removed from his/her position”. Mr Berlusconi's comments came after remarks made on Monday by Dennis Abbott, who is spokesman for Justice Commissioner Jacques Barrot. Abbott said the Commission would be sending letters to Italy and Malta asking for details on an incident regarding 75 African migrants intercepted at sea and sent back to Libya on Sunday. “The Commission emphasises that any human being has the right to submit an application that recognises the status of refugee or international protection”, he said. He expressed surprise at Berlusconi's comments, saying that Commission spokesman services had not for one moment criticised Italy. Johannes Laitenberger, Commission spokesman, asserted: “We see no reason to enter into polemics and prefer to concentrate on substance”. On the other hand, on Tuesday, the leader of the S&D Group at the European Parliament, Martin Schulz of Germany, called on the president of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso, to react immediately. In his view, Mr Berlusconi has once again shown “his deep anti-European sentiment”. His remarks are an “attack” on the European institutions as he shows “intolerance towards the EU Commission's immigration policy”, Mr Schulz said. “We call on the EU Presidency and Commission President Barroso to react immediately and personally against this outrageous attack on the European institutions”, the MEP said, also urging the groups in Parliament, especially the EPP, to react. (B.C./transl.jl)