Barroso Team should be subjected to 'Some element of refurbishment'

3.01.41pm BST (GMT +0100) Tue 26th Oct 2004

Andrew Duff, speaking today Tuesday 26 October in the European Parliamentary debate on the new Barroso Commission said:

'The whole team of would-be Commissioners should be thanked for having willingly subjected themselves to the hearings process which was a fairly gruelling one for all concerned. That process is not perfect, and there are certainly improvements that can be made.

'But the legitimacy of the hearings process is accepted not only by the Commission and the Parliament, but also by the Council. It has had serious political consequences, and we are now ready to draw our own conclusions.

'The Treaty stipulates that members of the Commission 'shall be chosen on the grounds of their general competence and whose independence is beyond doubt';

'The Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs has voted to reject the candidature of Mr Rocco Buttiglione.

'Yet the problems go wider than Mr Buttiglione. The fact is that in a number of cases, the Parliament's overall positive evaluation of candidates was nevertheless qualified by misgivings about financial probity, commercial interests, political skill or technical knowledge.

'Mr Barroso may regret that the heads of government have not always nominated persons of sufficient calibre to contribute from the outset to building the strong independent executive that the Union needs.

'Today this Parliament can underline the democratic and legal validity of the approval process by insisting that the Barroso team is subjected to some element of refurbishment.

'Our overriding purpose, like that of Mr Barroso, is a strong Commission. Those who do not believe that the present line-up will make a strong Commission should vote to reject it.

ENDS