EUROPEAN COMMISSION: MEPS REJECT BUTTIGLIONE AS COMMISSIONER.

Drama in Committee.

The Committee met in closed session, such was the sensitivity of the issue. The first vote was on whether Mr Buttiglione was a suitable candidate to be EU Freedom, Security and Justice Commissioner. The EPP-ED group naturally supported the motion but it failed because the Liberals opposed it. A second motion was voted on to accept him as Commissioner but demanding a change in portfolio. That went against him by 25 votes to 28 despite being backed by the Liberals. Sources say EPP-ED members refused to support it, adopting an 'all or nothing' approach one official characterised as "their fit of petulance".

One source said that some Socialist MEPs voted against the second motion too, reasoning that a double negative vote would be the worst possible outcome for the Italian politician, who was himself formerly a member of the Committee. Committee Chairman Jean-Louis Bourlanges (Liberals, France) then said he would write to the European Parliament President to say there is no majority for him as Commissioner in any capacity.

Family values.

Resentment of Mr Buttiglione has been simmering since last week's hearing when he said homosexuality was a sin and supported the creation of camps in North Africa to process illegal immigrants and asylum-seekers (see previous issue). He got a much warmer response in a second hearing the following day in the Legal Affairs Committee but it did not matter as the Civil Liberties Committee is responsible for assessing him. Normally, the Parliament is not entitled to pick off Commissioners one by one; they must either accept the whole team or reject it.

Reactions.

The day after the rejection, future European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso was standing by the beleaguered Italian. "Mr Barroso retains full confidence in all the Commission team...