WRITTEN QUESTION E-0879/04 by José Ribeiro e Castro (UEN) to the Commission. Romano Prodi — new centre party.
Date: 2004-03-22
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: European Commission, European Movement, European Parliament, European party, President of the Commission, duties of civil servants, freedom of expression, interinstitutional relations (EU), political participation, separation of powers

3.4.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 84 E/899

(2004/C 84 E/0993)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0879/04

by José Ribeiro e Castro (UEN) to the Commission

(22 March 2004)

Subject: Romano Prodi (cid:1) new centre party

The press reports that the Commission President has expressed his interest in creating a ‘pro-European’
centre party within the European Parliament, and on 3 March, met the chairman of the Union for
Democracy (UDF) and MEP François Bayrou, and the chairman of the EP Liberal Group, Graham Watson,
discussed this issue on 3 March. The idea was apparently initially put forward by the Secretary-General of
the Democratic Union of Catalonia (UDC), Josep Antoni Duran Lleida, at a meeting with the Commission
President, where he said that his party was leaving the European People’s Party and creating a new
‘Europeanist-oriented’ party. Romano Prodi apparently said that he was ‘favourable’ to building a new
party, whose policies would be essentially European federalist, and whose embryo could be linking the
French UDF, the Italian Margarita Party led by Francesco Rutelli MEP, and the UDC.

Graham Watson, after his meeting with the Commission President, said that ‘many people’ were interested
in setting up a ‘powerful centre group’ leading to ‘pro-European policies in Brussels’.

The Commission:

(cid:1) can it confirm these facts;

(cid:1) how does it view its President’s attitude, especially in the light of previous initiatives linked to Italian

politics;

(cid:1) specifically, how does it view his attitude in light of the principles of the separation of powers, and the

independence and general interest of the Commission;

(cid:1) does it believe that this initiative is compatible with his duties,

in the light of the contents of

Articles 211 and following of the EC Treaty;

(cid:1) how does it guarantee the independence of its political orientation and intervention, which legally, are

the responsibility of its President?

Answer given by Mr Prodi on behalf of the Commission

(27 April 2004)

As the Commission has pointed out on several occasions in reply to written or oral questions from
Members of Parliament, its members are politicians carrying out political duties who retain the freedom to
express their personal opinions on a fully independent basis and on their own responsibility, and to be
members of a political party, on condition that they comply with the obligations associated with their
post.

Against that background, Mr Romano Prodi has called publicly for all those who share a common vision
of Europe and who are prepared to work for a common programme to unite under a single list. By so
doing, and at a time in which the central importance of relations between the Commission and Parliament
has been enhanced, Mr Prodi is following in the steps of all former Commission Presidents, all of whom
took political steps to promote an increasingly united and stronger Europe which serves European citizens.

That being understood, President Prodi has confirmed that, as in the past, he will continue to devote all his
energies to his duties as President of the Commission until his term of office expires.