COMMISSION/PARLIAMENT: BARROSO RISKS MEPS' WRATH OVER SOFTWARE PATENTS.

This move represents a high risk strategy, as President Barroso has already antagonised the European Parliament's second biggest group, the Socialists, who failed to back a joint resolution backing the Barroso work programme for 2005 in a vote in the February plenary session. The decision to ask for the legal process to be restarted from scratch was approved by 19 votes in favour with one against and one abstention in the legal affairs committee on February 2. MEPs invoked a never-before used clause, Article 55, which allows the EP to request that a proposal is sent back for first reading. The demand was backed unanimously by the leaders of all the political groups in the EP at a meeting of the conference of presidents on February 17.

Maria Berger (PSE, Aus) from the EP's legal affairs committee said she did not see how the Commission's move could lead to a "good solution", saying it would have been better to have had a reconsultation with the Parliament. This could have led to a better Directive, especially for small- and medium-sized software developers, she said. She said that MEPs would do their best in second reading and in conciliation to get...