Buttiglione - Fox in the chicken coup

Written by Baroness Sarah Ludford MEP and published in Daily Telegraph on Wed 27th Oct 2004

Sir, I note your description of me as the "most prominent" MEP who objects to Rocco Buttiglione's nomination as EU Justice Commissioner (leading article, Oct 23), though you thereby underestimate all my similarly outspoken colleagues.

You claim that Mr Buttiglione would not translate his private prejudices - which extend to women as well as homosexuals - into public policy. Since he attempted, during the drafting of the new constitution, actually to strike out sexual orientation as a ground for protection against discrimination under EU law, we are entitled to have doubts.

However, my objections to Mr Buttiglione's candidacy go wider and challenge his fitness to fulfil the duties of commissioner for cross-border law enforcement, asylum and immigration as well as civil liberties.

He has proved himself, as a member of Silvio Berlusconi's government, in non-respect for the rule of law. That government is breaching the UN Refugee Convention by deporting migrants without determining whether they qualify as refugees. It held up agreement on the European Arrest Warrant which cuts reds tape in getting criminal and terrorist suspects before the courts, and now Italy is the only country which has not implemented it.

In addition, that government has passed laws that have been criticised in Italy for protecting Berlusconi and others from fraud and corruption charges. Are MEPs being extremist or responsible when we say the fox should not be in charge of the chicken coup?

The incoming president of the commission, Jose Manuel Barroso, has in effect conceded that Mr Buttiglione is incapable of carrying out the full duties of the justice post. As this man's continuing gaffes undermine his credibility to be a commissioner at all, it is perhaps time to accept his reported offer of resignation before he brings the whole European Union into further disrepute.