The incoming European Commission President, Mr José Manuel Barroso, has declined to give unqualified support to Mr Rocco Buttiglione, the Italian commissioner-designate whose views on homosexuality, marriage and immigration have angered MEPs.
Speaking in Dublin last night after a meeting with the Taoiseach, Mr Barroso said that his entire Commission team deserved the support of the European Parliament. He repeatedly declined, however, to reiterate his statement of last week that Mr Buttiglione was "perfectly fit" for the post of Justice and Home Affairs Commissioner.
"I cannot at this stage make any specific comment about a specific member of the Commission," Mr Barroso said.
Mr Barroso said he remained confident that the new Commission would win the approval of MEPs next week.
"Clearly I fully trust my Commission and I believe that the Commission deserves that European Parliament's support," he said.
Earlier yesterday, Mr Barroso's spokeswoman in Brussels also drew back from saying that a European Parliament endorsement of the new Commission team would extend to confirming Mr Buttiglione in the Justice portfolio.
A number of political groups in the European Parliament have threatened to reject the entire Commission next week if Mr Buttiglione is not moved to a different post. MEPs must vote on the Commission as a group and cannot reject an individual Commissioner without voting down the entire team.
Last week, a majority of MEPs on the Civil Liberties Committee said that Mr Buttiglione should not be appointed because of his expressed view that homosexuality is sinful and that the purpose of marriage is for women to have children under the protection of a man. Mr Buttiglione also told MEPs that he supported Italy's decision to deport thousands of immigrants to Africa without accepting asylum applications.
Mr Barroso said last night that the process of parliamentary scrutiny of commissioners was an important one and he promised to discuss MEPs' concerns.
"I have a great respect for the European Parliament and I am now wishing to discuss that issue with at first the leaders of the different groups in the European parliament. I received the letters recently and I promised the European Parliament not to make any specific comment about any specific commissioner before I have an opportunity to discuss that issue with them," Mr Barroso said.
Mr Buttiglione has claimed that he is the victim of a "hate campaign" and he received support for such views yesterday from within the Vatican. Cardinal Renato Raffaele Martino said the treatment of Mr Buttiglione resembled a secular "Inquisition", echoing the word used by Mr Buttiglione in an Italian newspaper interview on Sunday.
The president of the European Parliament, Mr Josep Borrell, a Spanish socialist, said Mr Buttiglione was doing his case no good with such remarks.
"Everyone is free to say what they believe, but his comments will not help improve the opinion of the European Parliament," Mr Borrell said in Vienna yesterday.
He added that MEPs had delivered their verdict on Mr Buttiglione and it was up to Mr Barroso to respond when he meets the Parliament's political leaders on Thursday.
"One should not permit a warlike state in relations between Parliament and the Commission. That would be wrong," Mr Borrell said.
Mr Buttiglione replied in a statement, saying he always had the "greatest respect" for the EU Parliament.
He added that his accusations of "possible persecution" had been directed at the press rather than at Parliament.