Barroso blinks first in Commission vs. Parliament row

6.00.00pm GMT Wed 27th Oct 2004

Today José Manuel Barroso, the incoming Commission President, withdrew his proposed team of Commisoners. Barroso obviously realised that the European Parliament would vote down the whole Commision because of the unsuitablity of Rocco Buttiglione.

Buttiglione has expressed some very illiberal views on the basis of gender and sexuality which is quite astonding as he was being proposed for the civil liberties post on the Commission. The European Parliament cannot just vote against Buttiglione but has to either accpet the whole Commission or reject them all.

The rules obviously need to be altered to allow the Parliament to reject one or more Commissioner and not just the whole lot, however as the rules stand the Parliament have no choice but to reject the whole Commission as Buttiglione is such a bad choice.