On 26 October 2006, the Nicaraguan Parliament approved an amendment to Article 165 of the Criminal Code, tightening up the law on abortion. Acting on the instructions of Mrs Ferrero-Waldner, European Commissioner for External Relations, Francesca Mosca asked the Speaker of Parliament to halt the parliamentary procedure. Marc Litvine, a Commission official in Brussels, stated that the EU regarded the authorisation of abortion as an element in the fight against poverty.

What is the legal basis for Mrs Ferrer-Waldner's threat to halt European development aid in order to bring about a change in a third country's abortion law? On what basis does Mr Litvine announce positions on abortion as an 'ambassador of the European Commission'? To what extent are the views expressed by a European official binding on the EU institutions, Member States and third countries?