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Italy's Buttiglione: a hard nut to crack for EU By Shadaba Islam Tough talking by European Union policymakers may have forced the Turkish government earlier this month to change its mind about criminalizing adultery but the bloc's incoming European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso is finding it much more difficult to rein in the anti-gay and anti-feminist opinions of his controversial future justice affairs chief, Italy's Rocco Buttiglione. The furore in Europe over Turkey s now-disbanded attempt to toughen penalties for adultery almost torpedoed the country's long-standing bid to become a member of the EU, albeit in about 10 to 15 years. EU officials argued that the law would jeopardize individual freedoms and reflect Turkey's still-outdated social values. Faced with the prospect of having his country's membership drive aborted yet again, Turkish Premier Tayyip Erdogan wisely opted for scrapping the legislation. Now, Italy's Buttiglione, a conservative politician with close links with both the Vatican and Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi, has also run into trouble for espousing old-fashioned ideas about men, women and the family. The European Parliament's influential Civil Liberties Committee this week voted against his appointment as the bloc's future justice affairs chief, saying they were outraged by Buttiglione s description of homosexuality as a "sin" and his conservative views of women and marriage. Ironically, while Turkey is viewed by many in Europe as being too Muslim to join the EU, Buttiglione s centre-left critics say he is too Catholic in his view of the world. Buttiglione told the parliament in hearings last week that the family existed "in order to allow women to have children and to have the protection of a male who takes care of them". Others voiced concern at his restrictive stance on immigration and asylum. Buttiglione favours the setting up of transit camps for refugees and asylum-seekers in Libya -- saying this could influence his actions as the bloc's future justice affairs chief. His critics include several influential members of the European Parliament who say the pugnacious Italian politician must either recant some of his more controversial statements or be refused a job in the future Commission. Since one of his jobs will be to defend the EU constitution and charter of fundamental rights which bans discrimination on the basis of gender, race or sexual preference, critics say Buttiglione is clearly not the right man for the job. Conservative politicians argue, however, that Buttiglione must have the right to voice his opinions without being condemned. So far, Buttiglione and his Italian government backers are proving much tougher to handle than the much more amenable Erdogan. The Italian politician has slammed the parliamentary vote - unprecedented in the history of the EU - as reflecting an anti-Catholic prejudice within the European Parliament. He also accused Euro MPs of a bias against Berlusconi who ran foul of the EU assembly last year when he compared a German lawmaker to a Nazi camp guard. "This vote is the result of religious discrimination and of a presumption of unworthiness of the Italian government," Buttiglione was quoted as saying by Italian daily Corriere della Sera. Wading into the debate, Berlusconi also lashed out at the European Parliament, saying Buttiglione has fallen victim to a "propaganda war" launched by Italian left-wingers. All this would be little more than a societal farce confronting Europe s conservatives and modernizers if the stakes were not so high. The danger is that the EU assembly, seeking to flex its muscles and prove its worth to a sceptical public opinion, may actually vote against the entire incoming Barroso Commission because of its distaste of Buttiglione. Under EU rules, the assembly cannot veto an individual commissioner but can reject the entire EU executive. This has never happened before but a confrontation between the Commission and the Parliament is definitely shaping up. Seeking to affirm his authority as the next Commission chief, Barroso is so far standing by Buttiglione. The Italian politician was "excellently suited for the job," Barroso said in recent remarks, adding: "I think his ideas which relate to a deep religious belief are no obstacle" to his future post as head of the EU s justice department. Barroso s tough words appear to set the incoming Commission on an unprecedented collision course with the European Parliament, the Bloc's only directly-elected institution. These are certainly uncharted waters. Barroso, a former Portuguese premier who was selected to head the Commission by EU leaders after months of wrangling over other candidates, can ill afford to fight with EU lawmakers. If he does so, he could see his entire team thrown out by the EU assembly. But Barroso is also under pressure to prove that he will not be dictated to by the assembly. One option is that Barroso may try and reshuffle his team to defuse tensions with the Parliament before the confirmation vote set for October 27. He is set to take over as Commission head from Romano Prodi on November 1. Buttiglione, however, is not the only Commission nominee facing parliamentary wrath, although he is the only one who has been openly rejected by the assembly. Also in the firing line are Laszlo Kovacs from Hungary, the Netherlands, Neelie Kroes, Mariann Fischer Boel from Denmark and Ingrida Udre from Latvia. Barroso is set to meet key leaders of the EU assembly on October 21, six days ahead of the make-or-break parliamentary vote. So far, neither side appears to be backing down. And Buttiglione himself has warned that he will not prostitute his conscience for a job in Brussels. Please Visit our Sponsor (Ads open in separate window)
