The European commissioner, Ms Edith Cresson, at the centre of allegations of fraud and financial mismanagement in the European Union's civil service, said yesterday she had done nothing wrong and would not resign. Ms Cresson was "sickened" by what she said was a vindictive personal campaign against her.
The European Parliament, the EU's only directly-elected body, votes next Thursday on a motion of censure against the commission. In December the parliament, which faces fresh elections in June, refused to sign off on the EU budget accounts for 1996 saying it was unhappy at lax financial management and allegations of fraud within the commission.
The commission president, Mr Jacques Santer, then told parliament to "back us or sack us" in a formal censure motion. If a two-thirds majority of the 626-seat assembly votes for censure, the 20-seat commission executive will be forced to resign en masse, leaving EU affairs in a state of paralysis.
The EU treaty makes no provision for parliament to demand the resignation of individual commissioners. Any censure is against the college of 20 commissioners, all appointed by their own memberstate governments.
Some parliament deputies have called for a separate motion demanding that Ms Cresson, a former French prime minister, and Mr Manuel Marin, a Spaniard, step down as they head the divisions at the centre of the charges. Since January 1995, Ms Cresson has headed the EU's Research Directorate, while Mr Marin is in charge of external relations with southern Mediterranean countries, the Middle East, Latin America and parts of Asia.
Asked if she thought there was a political campaign against her, Ms Cresson replied: "Yes, absolutely. We're coming up to [European] elections and I think there is a desire for human sacrifices. But it's not that serious."
But although she was "disgusted by it" she said "I am not in the habit of giving in to these intimidation tactics".
The leader of the Labour Party, Mr Ruairi Quinn, has called on Mr Santer to sort out these problems quickly. He said: "This is an unseemly row to be taking place at a time when the maximum level of coherence is needed to successfully launch the new single currency." President Santer, he said, should deal with the allegations of corruption in the commission both openly and decisively.