The Socialist group in the European Parliament yesterday gave the strongest indication yet that they plan to give Malta’s EU Commissioner-designate Tonio Borg a hard time.
In a statement issued in Brussels, the group’s leader Hannes Swoboda compared some of Dr Borg’s “comments” on the rights of homosexuals to those of Italy’s Rocco Buttiglione, whose 2004 nomination was botched by controversial declarations he made during his hearing before MEPs.
Mr Swoboda said his MEPs would be looking carefully into Dr Borg’s qualifications.
“In view of some comments from Dr Borg on the rights of homosexuals we intend to question him closely on whether his views are compatible with Europe’s fundamental values on civil liberties and non-discrimination.
“There has already been one case where the European Parliament rejected a candidate who could not convince MEPs of his readiness to accept basic European values. We do not need a second Rocco Buttiglione,” he said.
Prof. Buttiglione, a Christian democrat, had been assigned the Justice and Civil liberties portfolio in the first Barroso commission in 2004 but had to be replaced by Italy following his declaration that homosexuality is a sin.
MEPs had reservations about his ability to assure citizens’ rights, in particular with combating discrimination, a responsibility he would have been charged with as commissioner.
The declaration made by Mr Swoboda comes after Labour leader Joseph Muscat declared his party’s support for Dr Borg’s nomination, adding that Malta’s Labour MEPs would be backing the nomination.
Right after Mr Dalli’s resignation, Mr Swoboda said the Maltese Government should leave the post empty until after the general election so that the new commissioner could reflect a possible change of government.
But Labour did not share this stand either, saying Malta could not afford a vacuum in this position.
The EPP, the largest group in the Parliament, has already declared its full support for Dr Borg, so backing by the Socialist group would make his nomination plain sailing. Repeated attempts to obtain a comment from Dr Borg yesterday were in vain.
However, when asked by The Sunday Times last weekend whether he anticipated a rough ride during his EP grilling, he replied: “I might be conservative in my beliefs but I’m liberal in many other ways. I have a track record in human rights... I have always been at the forefront in eliminating discrimination, from refugee rights to issues of sexual orientation.”
With regard to the resignation of Mr Dalli, the Socialist Group called for full transparency. “Serious questions about a plot against Mr Dalli have been raised,” Mr Swoboda said. “At the moment it seems like the situation may have been mishandled by the Commission President and by the director general of OLAF,” the Socialist leader charged.
The group urged the Commission and anti-fraud agency OLAF to disclose all steps taken in the procedure and report that led to Mr Dalli’s resignation.
Later in the day, the EPP made a similar call for transparency over the surprise resignation earlier this week of a supervisory board chairman at OLAF.