| Author (Person) | Banks, Martin |
|---|---|
| Series Title | European Voice |
| Series Details | Vol.9, No.38, 13.11.03, p1-2 |
| Publication Date | 13/11/2003 |
| Content Type | News |
|
By Martin Banks Date: 13/11/03 THE leader of the European Parliament's biggest political group has accused Romano Prodi of "totally unacceptable interference" in Italian politics. The broadside by centre-right European People's Party (EPP) chief Hans-Gert Pöttering, followed Prodi's decision to publish a 50-page manifesto, entitled Europe: the dream, the choices, in which he appeals to Italian opposition parties to fight next year's European elections as a united bloc. Prodi, who was prime minister of the centre-left Olive Tree coalition which ruled Italy in 1996-98, is widely expected to run against current premier Silvio Berlusconi in the country's next general election. Pöttering believes the manifesto's scope goes well beyond European issues and that Prodi should resign if he wants to re-immerse himself in the Italian political scene. The manifesto pointedly refers to Berlusconi's influence over the Italian media - he controls the country's three main commercial TV channels, while his wife and brother run two daily papers - arguing that "pluralism of information" is at stake. The media are turning into "the main instrument to achieve, exercise and influence political power," Prodi warns. Pöttering said: "It is totally unacceptable for a president of the Commission to be doing this sort of thing. It's way over the top. There are a large number of EU-related issues he should be concentrating on, rather than such gross interference in national politics. This is improper conduct for someone who holds an office which should guarantee neutrality for everybody. He should start acting like a Commission president and not as a candidate in an Italian election." Prodi rejected the criticism, insisting his manifesto amounted only to "reflections on Europe" and was not intended as an attempt to highlight Italian domestic issues."Nobody can even vaguely think that I do not dedicate 100% of my activity to Europe. We are working very hard, so this problem does not exist," he said. However, there are growing fears in Brussels that the final stages of Italy's EU presidency will be overshadowed by the ongoing spat between Prodi and Berlusconi. Parliament's President Pat Cox expressed his frustration, saying: "They must forget the disputes being fuelled by their political supporters in Italy and concentrate on the major challenges facing us." Meanwhile, Prodi has also come under fire from one of his own allies. Enrique Barón Crespo, leader of the Party of European Socialists group in the Parliament, said the Commission president's plea for a united pro-European stance across a whole range of parties was unrealistic. "To have any credibility, a political grouping must have a certain coherence and not just a pro-European outlook," he commented, adding: "I don't believe it appropriate to form future Parliamentary groups from a whole range of different political backgrounds, whose only shared policy is a pro-European one." Romano Prodi, President of the European Commission has published a 50-page manifesto, 'Europe: the dream, the choices', which urges the Italian Left to join forces for the 2004 elections to the European Parliament. Mr Prodi's actions have provoked an outcry and an accusation from the leader of the European Parliament's biggest political group that he is interfering in Italian politics. |
|
| Related Links |
|
| Subject Categories | Politics and International Relations |
| Countries / Regions | Italy |
