Rome
The European Parliament this week recommended against Italy’s appointee to the European Commission, saying his anti-gay views disqualified him from the post. It was the first time the Parliament had ever tried to overrule a country’s selection to fill a seat in the E.U.’s executive body. The Italian, Rocco Buttiglione, came under fire for saying that he thought homosexuality was a sin and that the purpose of marriage was for women to have children. But incoming Commission President José Barroso, a Spaniard, is standing behind Buttiglione, so the only way Parliament can get rid of the Italian is to reject Barroso’s entire slate of commissioners. Buttiglione said the European Parliament is simply prejudiced against people with “moral and religious convictions.”
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Will there be peace before Christmas in Ukraine?Today's Big Question Discussions over the weekend could see a unified set of proposals from EU, UK and US to present to Moscow
-
Quiz of The Week: 6 – 12 DecemberQuiz Have you been paying attention to The Week’s news?
-
The week’s best photosIn Pictures A man's best friend, the elephants in the room, and more
