Raising questions about who will head up several European Commiss...

“Barroso asked for more time” to come up with a more palatable team and EP members (MEPs) were happy to agree, an EP spokesman told us. The move could involve shuffling some candidates and dropping others. MEPs have been most critical of Barroso’s choice for Justice, Freedom & Security -- Rocco Buttiglione, who has been skewered for his outspoken antigay opinions and view that women should stay at home. After hearings, 2 parliamentary committees this month submitted widely divergent assessments of Buttiglione to EP Pres. Josep Borrell Fontelles. The Committee on Legal Affairs said Buttiglione satisfactorily answered questions about such issues as protection of intellectual property rights and was qualified to serve as a commissioner. The committee pointed out, however, that several political groups “expressed reservations” about his ability to take “positive political action in the area of citizens’ rights,” particularly to combat discrimination. But members of the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice & Home Affairs couldn’t agree on a joint assessment of Buttiglione and voted by a small margin against his nomination to lead the Justice directorate. Barroso’s candidate for Competition Comr., Neelie Kroes, also garnered negative reviews from some quarters. In its report to the EP pres., the Economic & Monetary Affairs Committee said most of its members were “to some degree disappointed with her performance at the hearing, finding her detailed grasp of certain specific subjects to be insufficient.” MEPs were worried particularly about Kroes’s many former business interests and asked Barroso to clarify how antitrust cases in which she may have a conflict of interest will be handled. Information Society Directorate nominee Viviane Reding passed muster with the Committee on Industry, Research & Energy, but the committee expressed concern over her lack of deep technical knowledge of e-communications and Information Society matters. The panel also said 2 of its smaller political groups were disappointed with Reding’s comments on software patents. Telecom and Internet issues also fall under the jurisdiction of the Internal Market directorate, whose proposed chief is Charlie McCreevy. In its report to the EP pres., the Committee on the Internet Market & Consumer Protection found McCreevy to be a suitable candidate. Barroso now can start from scratch, and European telecom and Internet groups are watching. The European Telecom Network Operators’ Assn. said it “fully respects” Barroso’s decision not to submit the new Commission to a vote. However, it said, it hopes Barroso retains Reding as his choice for Information Society & Media Comr. A huge issue for ISPs is data retention, which falls within the jurisdiction of Justice (because it involves cooperation on law enforcement matters), Internal Market, and Information Society. European ISPs will be “very worried” if the next Justice chief fails to discuss issues such as data retention with all those interested, said EuroISPA Regulatory Affairs Mgr. Richard Nash. The new commission was supposed to be in place Nov. 1. At a news briefing Wed., Barroso wouldn’t specify when he intended to introduce his new team but suggested it could be within the next couple weeks.