"We have done our job" said one MEP yesterday after committees in the European Parliament forwarded their evaluations of Mr José Manuel Barroso's nominees to the European Commission to him. They are candid, focused and well judged following detailed hearings over the last fortnight.
This makes it politically important for Mr Barroso to take proper account of them - both the majority containing positive views on the nominees and the single one disagreeing with the nomination of the Italian commissioner, Mr Rocco Buttiglione, to the portfolio of justice and home affairs because of his views on homosexuality, marriage and immigration.
The parliament does not have the right to reject individual commissioners and can only vote down the Commission as a whole, as happened in 1999 with Mr Jacques Santer. But its political and legislative roles have been greatly enhanced even if its public legitimacy still lags behind, as was shown by the turnout in this summer's elections. A delicate but interesting political process is now under way. The committee reports have been forwarded without comment to Mr Barroso ahead of a meeting with him next week and a final parliamentary decision before the end of the month on whether to accept the Commission as a whole.
Mr Barroso must decide whether to leave his nomination of Mr Buttiglione stand, dismiss him or shuffle his nominations to take account of the parliament's views. The Italian prime minister, Mr Silvio Berlusconi, is appalled by the rejection of Mr Buttiglione, apparently on the grounds that he is a devout Roman Catholic who believes homosexuality is a sin, that marriage provides for women to have children and their husbands to protect them and that immigration to the EU should be curtailed. The parliament's civil liberties committee found such views incompatible with Mr Buttiglione's mandate for justice and home affairs - and justifiably so. One of the fastest growing EU competencies with a huge bearing on public policy over the next five years could be jeopardised if led by a man whose expressed views and record in office are so much out of line.
Most of the other Commission nominees get good reports from these hearings - few more so than Mr Charlie McCreevy who is praised for his coherent grasp of the internal market brief, his political and communications skills and his fluent, relaxed and humorous style. Mr Barroso's nominations had a good reception when announced in August. He would be well advised to take these reports seriously rather than facing them down aggressively at the start of his term.