THE furious row over Europe’s new “anti-gay” commissioner plunged the European Union into crisis last night after MEPs threatened to reject the entire Commission unless he was fired.

José Manuel Durao Barroso, the incoming President of the Commission, yesterday defied calls to ditch his chosen justice commissioner, the Italian Rocco Buttiglione, for his views on homosexuality and marriage.

His decision to stand by Signor Buttiglione enraged political leaders wielding a majority of votes in the European Parliament. They pledged to veto Senhor Barroso’s entire commission when it is put to the vote next week.

Signor Buttiglione, a conservative Catholic and friend of the Pope, is due to be given responsibility for the EU’s antidiscrimination policies, but caused outrage by describing homosexuality as a “sin”, suggesting women should spend more time having babies and less time working, and that single mothers “weren’t very good”.

Signor Buttiglione, a philosophy professor, published a letter of apology yesterday, and Senhor Barroso tried to broker a deal with party leaders, offering to curb some of Signor Buttiglione’s powers. Under his compromise, civil liberties and human rights would no longer be left to Signor Buttiglione alone, but would be overseen by a panel including the controversial Italian and chaired by Senhor Barroso himself.

However, the leaders of most of the political groups emerged from talks insisting that the compromise did not go far enough and that the incoming Commission would be rejected in order to establish the credibility of the European Parliament.

The new commission, which includes the former Cabinet minister Peter Mandelson, is due to take office on November 1, but it must be approved by a vote of the European Parliament on Wednesday.

If the Parliament wields its veto, then the current commission, under President Romano Prodi, would have to continue in a caretaker role until a resolution to the crisis was found.

It would be the first time in the history of the EU that an incoming European Commission had been brought down before it had taken power. In 1999 the European Parliament passed a vote of no-confidence in the Commission under Jacques Santer after a corruption scandal, prompting a mass resignation.

The Buttiglione row, which has been simmering for more than two weeks, exploded yesterday after Senhor Barroso tried to broker a compromise with the presidents of the political groups in the parliament.

After the meeting, the leaders of most political groups, including socialists, liberals and greens, pledged to veto the Commission. They carry far more votes than the groups that support the commission, which include the centre-right European People’s Party.

Martin Schulz, the president of the Socialist group in Parliament, which includes the Labour Party, said: “It is going to be difficult to get a majority behind such a commission. We don’t have confidence in it.”

Chris Davies, the leader of Britain’s Liberal Democrats, said: “Our position has hardened — it’s one of those occasions that the parliament has to use the powers at its disposal as a point of principle, and to set a precedent for the future.”

Hans-Gert Pöttering, leader of the European People’s Party, which includes Britain’s Conservative Party, said that he supported the Commission, but admitted he might lose the vote. “Human and political life is always full of risks — only when the vote happens next week will be certain,” he said.

The European Parliament has also expressed reservations about other commissioners, including Neelie Kroes, of the Netherlands, who will be in charge of competition, and Laszlo Kovacs, of Hungary, who has been given responsibility for energy.

Under EU law the Parliament can veto the entire commission of 25 people, but not individual commissioners. Yesterday Senhor Barroso insisted he was “absolutely confident” his commission would be approved, and demanded that the European Parliament act responsibly. “Is it reasonable to make a commission fall because two or three commissioners aren’t satisfactory?” he asked. “No. One must keep a sense of balance. We have to think about the consequences of this vote.”

Signor Buttiglione is due to be given the wide-ranging brief of Justice, Freedom and Security, including responsibility for civil liberties, immigration and counter-terrorism.

Members of the European Parliament had demanded that he be dismissed or given another portfolio. The minimum requirement was for him to relinquish responsibility for discrimination policies. But Senhor Barroso argued that it would be enough to set up an advisory committee for discrimination policies.

In his letter of apology, Signor Buttiglione said: “I deeply regret the difficulties and problems that have arisen . . . words so emotionally charged as sin should perhaps not be introduced in the political debate.”

He insisted that he was opposed to all forms of discrimination, and repeated his claim that he had been the victim of anti-Christian discrimination.

Senhor Barroso said: “We have Christians and Roman Catholics working for Europe. We have agnostics and atheists and all levels of different religions, Christian and non-Christian. This tolerance is a wonderful thing and we should show the same level of tolerance for people’s opinions.”

The political groups are holding emergency meetings over the next few days, but most insisted last night that only significant concessions by Senhor Barroso would prevent them from vetoing the commission.

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