By Yusuf Kanli
TDN- Rather than forcing the European Union and European Parliament to plunge into a head-on confrontation and an abyss of crisis, commission chief Barroso withdrew his cabinet moments before a vote. We may have difficulty understanding this behavioral pattern, but this is what consensus politics is.
It was no secret to those who follow European politics rather than concentrating on the soap operas at home -- in the judiciary, in politics and elsewhere -- that the incoming European Commission and its chief, Jose Manuel Barroso, would face a humiliating defeat in the European Parliament if a formula to soothe European Parliament objections to a controversial individual in Barroso's cabinet could not be found.
Such a defeat would have plunged the bloc into an unprecedented political crisis.
The row between the European Parliament and the EU executive was over Rocco Buttiglione, who was nominated by Barroso for the impressive justice and security portfolio. Buttiglione, the European affairs minister in the Silvio Berlusconi cabinet in Italy, was rejected by the European Parliament's Civil Liberties Committee after he told a confirmation hearing that homosexuality was a sin and that marriage was for women to have babies and be protected by their husbands.
Although he is viewed in Italy as a political "moderate," he is a devout Roman Catholic and a close friend of Pope John Paul II. According to reports, he has helped the pontiff write a few of his encyclicals -- the most authoritative form of papal missives that Catholics around the world are expected to obey.
Still, there is a difference between a sermon in church and a statement in parliament. Individual rights and gender equality constitute the backbone of EU norms, although some member countries may prohibit abortion or divorce and might be less than tolerant of homosexuality. It was only natural that such a remark by Buttiglione would infuriorate numerous European parliamentarians and eliminate any chance of approval of the entire Barroso cabinet since the European Parliament cannot veto individual members but can vote down the whole team.
Rather than forcing the European Union and the European Parliament to plunge into a head-on confrontation and an unprecedented abyss of political crisis, commission chief Barroso withdrew his cabinet moments before a vote. We may have difficulty understanding this behavioral pattern, but this is what consensus politics is.
Now the outgoing Romano Prodi commission will have some extra time in office in a caretaker capacity until Barroso, with the help of EU leaders, convinces Buttiglione to step down, find an acceptable candidate for the prestigious portfolio and restore normalcy.