Thursday

28th Mar 2024

Barroso reticent on Buttiglione

  • Mr Barroso - backing away? (Photo: European Commission)

Incoming European Commission President José Manuel Durão Barroso appears to have withdrawn his full support from the controversial future Italian Commissioner.

At a meeting in Dublin on Monday (18 October), Mr Barroso refused to repeat an earlier statement that Rocco Buttiglione was "perfectly fit" for the post of Justice and Home Affairs Commissioner, according to the Irish Times.

Read and decide

Join EUobserver today

Get the EU news that really matters

Instant access to all articles — and 20 years of archives. 14-day free trial.

... or subscribe as a group

"I cannot at this stage make any specific comment about a specific member of the Commission", said Mr Barroso.

Mr Barroso’s reticence was also relayed via his spokeswoman in Brussels.

"Mr Barroso continues to be confident that at the end of this process, his team can receive the approval of the European Parliament", said Pia Ahrenkilde Hansen, who refused to clarify whether this would include Mr Buttiglione and his current portfolio.

The Italian Commissioner, a conservative Catholic, has hardly left the news lately following a series of controversial comments on gays, women and marriage, and single mothers.

His nomination has already been rejected by a Committee in the European Parliament – and Socialists and Liberal MEPs are now demanding that, at the very least, Mr Buttiglione is given a new portfolio.

A sweetener

According to Parliament sources, there are a few options on the table.

One would be make sure that issues infringing on Article 13 of the Treaty, which deals with discrimination based on sex, religion and sexual orientation, do not fall in Mr Buttiglione's remit.

This could then be coupled by the Commission bringing forward another directive on anti-discrimination, say some parliament insiders.

However, according to one senior MEP, this would be the "least satisfactory" option as Mr Buttiglione would still be under constant scrutiny for everything he said for the next five years.

Another option, which would gain greater support from liberals and left MEPs, would be a direct swap of portfolios.

One name that has cropped up for such an exchange would be with French Commissioner Jacques Barrot, who is to be in charge of transport. Both men belong to the same centre-right political family.

While the centre-right EPP in the Parliament has been fully supportive of Mr Buttiglione, the Socialists and Liberals have indicated that they would probably vote against the European Commission on 27 October if Mr Barroso does not take any action against the Italian.

However, he will have to have the support of member states to do this. So far, only Swedish Prime Minister Goran Persson has publicly spoken out against Mr Buttiglione.

Ukraine slams grain trade restrictions at EU summit

Restrictions on Ukrainian agricultural exports to the EU could translate into military losses in their bid to stop Russia's war, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky warned EU leaders during their summit in Brussels on Thursday.

Difficult talks ahead on financing new EU defence spending

With the war in Ukraine showing no signs of ending any time soon, EU leaders will meet in Brussels on Thursday and Friday (21 and 22 March) to discuss how to boost the defence capabilities of Ukraine and of the bloc itself.

Opinion

Why UK-EU defence and security deal may be difficult

Rather than assuming a pro-European Labour government in London will automatically open doors in Brussels, the Labour party needs to consider what it may be able to offer to incentivise EU leaders to factor the UK into their defence thinking.

Latest News

  1. Kenyan traders react angrily to proposed EU clothes ban
  2. Lawyer suing Frontex takes aim at 'antagonistic' judges
  3. Orban's Fidesz faces low-polling jitters ahead of EU election
  4. German bank freezes account of Jewish peace group
  5. EU Modernisation Fund: an open door for fossil gas in Romania
  6. 'Swiftly dial back' interest rates, ECB told
  7. Moscow's terror attack, security and Gaza
  8. Why UK-EU defence and security deal may be difficult

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. Nordic Council of MinistersJoin the Nordic Food Systems Takeover at COP28
  2. Nordic Council of MinistersHow women and men are affected differently by climate policy
  3. Nordic Council of MinistersArtist Jessie Kleemann at Nordic pavilion during UN climate summit COP28
  4. Nordic Council of MinistersCOP28: Gathering Nordic and global experts to put food and health on the agenda
  5. Friedrich Naumann FoundationPoems of Liberty – Call for Submission “Human Rights in Inhume War”: 250€ honorary fee for selected poems
  6. World BankWorld Bank report: How to create a future where the rewards of technology benefit all levels of society?

Join EUobserver

EU news that matters

Join us