A constitutional crisis at the heart of Europe was narrowly averted on Saturday after Rocco Buttiglione, the Italian nominee whose anti-gay views had blocked his appointment to the European Commission, finally withdrew his candidacy.
In a parting shot, the man who had declared homosexuality a sin and marriage an institution for women to have children with a man’s protection — outraging Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) from across Europe, who declared him unfit for the post of commissioner for justice — said he had been misquoted and portrayed himself as a scapegoat.
Opposition to Buttiglione — the choice of Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi — had threatened to derail the appointment of the entire commission, including Britain’s nominee Peter Mandelson, since MEPs can only force out a single commissioner by voting down the entire lot.
The Foreign Office now expects the commission to be nominated and rubberstamped by the European Parliament. One Whitehall source said the scalping of Buttiglione appeared to have ”drawn the sting”, adding: ”I think the European Parliament have made their point.”
The episode has marked a significant new flexing of muscles by MEPs, who have always had the power to interrogate and vote on nominees but until now have rarely defied the president of the commission, currently José Manuel Barroso, so openly.
Barroso had stood by the Italian candidate despite his comments, but was eventually forced to withdraw his proposed list of 24 commissioners after it became clear he could not be confident of the Parliament’s agreement.
Buttiglione has claimed he was the victim of an ”anti-Catholic inquisition”. But late on Friday night — after a 40-minute meeting with his candidate — Berlusconi conceded that he should remain in his old job as Italian Minister for European Affairs .
On Saturday, Buttiglione insisted he is a ”champion of human rights”, not an adversary, and has been targeted for his conservative views.
”I may think that homosexuality is a sin, but politics doesn’t have to get involved in that,” he said.
Humanity periodically decides to purify itself by choosing ”an innocent victim” to take on the woes of everyone else, he said.
”This time I have been chosen for this task and I don’t complain about it too much.”
In Britain, the news was welcomed by gay-rights campaigners as a sign of Europe maturing.
”We are absolutely delighted: it was entirely inappropriate that someone who is prepared to express these views should have been asked to become a commissioner in a Europe that is now based upon equal treatment for all its citizens,” said Ben Summerskill, chief executive of lobby group Stonewall.
Buttiglione will go down in history as the first nominated commissioner to be rejected by a committee in the European Parliament. The new commission was to have taken office on Monday. Instead, the outgoing commission will hold the fort for about three more weeks.
Reports said Barroso may now suggest more than one change to his original proposed commission, so as not to single Italy out. Italian media speculated that Foreign Minister Franco Frattini may now be nominated as commissioner. — Guardian Unlimited Â