The President-designate of the European Commission, Mr Romano Prodi, yesterday threatened to walk away from the job unless MEPs give him a full mandate until 2004.
In a strongly-worded appeal to the European Parliament, Mr Prodi said that MEPs had a clear political choice: "Think of the need for stability effectiveness and accountability. Think of the need for strong decision-making on the many challenges facing Europe."
The suggestion from some parliamentary leaders that they may be legally required to give the new Commission a separate mandate now for the three months' remainder of the old Commission's term, followed by a vote in December for the five following years, would inject three months of uncertainty into the nomination process and was simply unacceptable, the statement from Mr Prodi said.
If Parliament chose that course it would be tantamount to a vote of no-confidence, a spokesman for him explained. "In such circumstances I would be obliged to draw the full consequences and could not accept such a mandate," Mr Prodi insisted.
His statement produced an angry reaction from conservative leaders, with the leader of the largest parliamentary group, the EPP, Mr Hans-Gerd Pottering, describing it as as "over-reaction" and unnecessary as the parliament had yet to take any view on the way it would vote. "Calm down," he told Mr Prodi, insisting that the EPP was determined to see the Commission serve the full period. He was even prepared to give a solemn declaration to the Parliament at the time of the first vote that the EPP would reaffirm its vote in December.
The leader of the Liberal Group, Mr Pat Cox, said Mr Prodi's declaration was a "premature ejaculation, a case of getting your retaliation in first". He said it was "unhelpful at this time, and reminded me of the fatal error of Jacques Santer, on the eve of a vote, telling Parliament how they should vote."
Mr Prodi's spokesman denied any similarity, pointing to the five-year mandate given by governments of the member-states to Mr Prodi and to Parliament's own determination to see the new team in place as soon as possible. The Socialists were unconcerned by his intervention. Their vice-president, Mr Hannes Swoboda, said that the group wanted Mr Prodi to be given his full mandate now, if legally possible. However, while Mr Prodi's surprise move may antagonise some MEPs in the short term, it may prove in the longer term to be quite adroit. The prospect of a second vote hanging over the Commission in December, even theoretically, was being seen by some MEPs as a means of extracting further political concessions from Mr Prodi.
Mr Prodi's move both removes the threat of three months' uncertainty, and undermines the Parliament's negotiating position.
And, by carefully picking a fight that he is likely to win, he has shown that he is willing and able to stand up to the Parliament. Meanwhile, the hearings into his team continued yesterday with strong performances from both the returning Italian Commissioner, Mr Mario Monti (Competition), and the German, Mr Gunther Verheugen (Enlargement). The Belgian Francophone Socialist, Mr Philipe Busquin (Research) got a mauling, however, at the hands of the right and Flemish nationalists over his competence, lack of Flemish, and his party's past murky financial dealings. Last night, the Research Committee adjourned its in camera session without reaching a view on his candidacy.
