Até já os Americanos lhe chamam a "Barroso's mess"

Barroso's mess
International Herald Tribune Wednesday, October 27, 2004

It is a great shame that José Manuel Barroso has marred his preparations for the presidency of the European Commission, the European Union's executive arm, with a showdown of his own making: the nasty and unnecessary fight over his inexplicable assignment of the interior and justice portfolio to an Italian Catholic with ultra-conservative views on homosexuality and the role of women. Unsurprisingly, Barroso's appointment of Rocco Buttiglione, the Italian commissioner, has generated considerable resistance in the European Parliament. Barroso then made things worse by digging in on the nomination. So now, the European Parliament, which can approve or reject, but not amend, may vote down the entire 24-member commission on Wednesday, a few days before it is supposed to take power. Even at the 11th hour, Barroso should do everything possible to fix the mess he has created.

There is no easy way out. Buttiglione is a confidant of Pope John Paul II and of Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi of Italy, who would both be furious if he were rejected. Many other European leaders don't want to set a precedent of letting the European Parliament block their nominees. Looking for a compromise, Barroso said he would personally oversee sensitive issues of civil liberties and discrimination. But that is not enough. The issue here is not only a power struggle with the 732-member Parliament, which is seeking to have its voice heard in EU affairs, but whether the Commission should have a member with personal views so out of synch with the policies he is required to uphold. Barroso showed admirable strength of mind in July in resisting French and German pressure to give the EU's heavyweights the best jobs, and he should be just as firm about giving Buttiglione a different role.

If the assembly does reject Barroso's whole team, the EU would risk losing the talents of many highly skilled commissioners - not least Barroso himself, who has shown vision and a determination to haul the Commission out of its current doldrums. The chaos that might ensue is the last thing Europe needs at the moment. On Friday, heads of state are scheduled to sign the treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe, a crucial step in managing the newly enlarged Union. Next on tap are such major issues as how to handle immigration, whether to let in Turkey, how to divide the budget, how to weld together a common foreign policy, and how to secure Europe against terrorists.

Risking all that for someone so obviously unsuited for the job makes no sense.