Procedural row holds up decision on Frattini successor

The replacement of Franco Frattini in the European Commission is pending due to a procedural dispute between the outgoing Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi and the winner of the national elections Silvio Berlusconi. Frattini may be forced to renounce to his seat in the Italian Parliament to allow Berlusconi to name his substitute.

Following Berlusconi’s victory in Italian elections of 13-14 April, the Commission Vice-President in charge of justice and home affairs, Franco Frattini, had already been promised the post of Italy’s foreign minister, which he already held between 2002 and 2004. He also won a seat in the new Italian Parliament, which will easily be controlled by centre-right forces until the next elections, due in five years (see EURACTIV 15/04/08).

However, if Frattini leaves his current position at the Commission to embrace his new national responsibilities, the nomination of his substitute to the EU would be left up to the acting prime minister, Romano Prodi. Indeed, the outgoing premier will only step down after the formation of a new government, foreseen for two weeks’ time.

Prodi has already presented Berlusconi with a list of candidates to replace Frattini, among which former commissioner Emma Bonino, Italian Economy Minister and former European Central Bank board member Tommaso Padoa-Schioppa and the current EU Director General for Development Stefano Manservisi. All are linked to the centre-left.

But Berlusconi has other names in mind, particularly the current head of his party’s delegation in the European Parliament, Antonio Tajani, as well as Mario Mauro, one of the vice presidents of the European Parliament and a member of Berlusconi’s party. 

MEPs are considered by the centre-right to be the easiest options for the short-term position vacated by Frattini. Other politicians could be less interested in a one-year job, but not MEPs that in any case will end their mandates in the second half of 2009, when the European Parliament will be renewed. However, the potential nomination of Tajani has been already fiercely criticised by the Socialist and Liberal parties in the EU Parliament.

What Berlusconi needs is time. EU Commission President José Manuel Barroso has already given him a helping hand by granting Frattini further extraordinary (unpaid) leave after the one-month pause he was already afforded to run in the Italian elections. Frattini now has until 28 April to announce his intentions (see EURACTIV 10/03/08).

The day after that is the deadline for Frattini to accept his seat in the Italian Parliament. If Frattini accepts the seat, he will automatically lose his position as a commissioner as it is incompatible with the role of an MP. In that case, Prodi would get to nominate his substitute.

However, in the absence of an agreement between the opposing coalitions in Italy, Frattini has already said he will renounce his seat in Parliament. The Commission would then extend his position until he becomes the new Italian Foreign Minister. By then, it would be the new Berlusconi-led government who would choose the new commissioner.

But what will Barroso do? Will he concede a further extra-leave to Frattini in clear breach of the usual procedures? And the Parliament? Will it oppose the potential candidature of Tajani as it did with Rocco Buttiglione, the Berlusconi-designated commissioner forced to withdraw in 2004 after MEPs’ attacks against him?

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