Barroso offers compromise but EU Commission still in danger

José Manuel Durao Barroso, the European Commission's President designate, insisted he will not change his team's line-up but offered a compromise in a crisis meeting with the European Parliament's political leaders yesterday.

Mr Barroso pledged to personally chair a high powered working group on human rights and discrimination, and assume responsibility for these issues.

Italian Commissioner designate Rocco Buttiglione, who is meant to take over the justice and home affairs portfolio, was given the thumbs-down for the post by a committee of MEPs after voicing controversial views about gays, women and the family.

During a press conference following yesterday's meeting, Mr Barroso said that after having analysed what the MEPs had said, he had decided to take all human rights issues upon himself.

Communications, social affairs, external relations and development commissioners will join Mr Barroso and Prof. Buttiglione to raise the human rights banner across EU policy-making.

Mr Barroso reminded MEPs that all EU executive decision-making is taken by the full college of commissioners. He also reminded Parliament he had listened to its requests to include more women in his team. He said that "there has never been a Commission before with eight women, never".

In a clear bid to ease tension, Prof. Buttiglione wrote to Mr Barroso earlier in the day. "I deeply regret the difficulties and problems that have arisen," he wrote.

"I do not expect that a conflict might arise between my conscience and my duty as a commissioner but if this should ever be the case during my mandate I am ready to formally ask you to be exonerated from the execution of a particular act and to be substituted in it."

The latest developments still keep next week's parliamentary vote on the approval of the new Commission in the balance. Following their meeting with Mr Barroso, the Socialist, Greens and Liberals have stuck to their position that Prof. Buttiglione must go.

This means that unless Mr Barroso changes Prof. Buttiglione's portfolio or lets him go altogether, there is the risk that the Parliament will fail to approve the new Commission en masse.

The only real allies of the Barroso Commission are the 268-strong European People's Party. However, they may not be enough. Nearly half of all MEPs are believed to be against the Barroso Commission if Prof. Buttiglione is allowed to remain. The 200-strong Socialists and the Greens are supported by the Eurosceptics and other leftists.

Socialist group leader Martin Schulz said his group was still expecting a reshuffle: "Despite the risk of a serious institutional crisis, Mr Barroso has still not given us a clear statement that Prof. Buttiglione will be removed from the justice and home affairs portfolio."

The final vote will be taken on Wednesday during a plenary session in Strasbourg. Mr Barroso commented that he is still confident that his Commission will get a "deserved majority".