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NEWS UPDATE OF POLITICAL GROUPS IN THE EP

Submitted by christian on Wed, 06/18/2014 - 14:55
  1. European People's Party (EPP): The European People’s Party (EPP) has elected German MP Manfred Weber as its chairman. From 2009-2014 Manfred Weber was the Deputy Chair of the EPP group in the European Parliament. In his speech Mr Weber defined the priorities of the European Parliament’s action in the next term in office, i.e. the establishment of good conditions for growth and employment, particularly for young people as well as continued efforts Europe-wide to stabilise the financial markets. Parliamentarians from the EPP group in the European Parliament have restated on June,16 their will to back the candidacy of Jean-Claude Juncker for the presidency of the next European Commission.
  2. S& D Group: The  S& D Group has elected Martin Schulz as its new chairman.
  3. European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) The ECR Group has elected the British Conservative MEP Syed Kamall as its new leader. Syed Kamall takes over from the former leader Martin Callanan, who failed to be re-elected as an MEP. The group counts 63 members and is the third political force behind the EPP and the S&D. The Dutch European parliamentarian Bas Belder has announced on June,16 that he will leave the Farage-lead EFD group for the ECR in the next European Parliament. The main German eurosceptic party, Alternative für Deutschland – AfD (Alternative for Germany), founded in 2013, not affiliated to any European political party or group until now and that obtained nearly 7% of the votes on the European elections decided to join the European Conservatives and reformists in the European Parliament.
  4. Europe of Freedom and Democracy (EFD): On 12 June, Beppe Grillo’s Five Star Movement voted overwhelmingly in an online referendum to join the UK Independence Party led Europe of Freedom and Democracy (EFD) group in the new European Parliament. Five Star bring 17 MEPS to the EFD, which according to a blog entry by Beppe Grillo, is “open to changing its name.”
  5. European United Left/Nordic Green Left (GUE/NGL): TheGUE/NGL has now 52 seats in the new legislature. Amongst its new members the GUE/NGL includes Podemos (Spain), L’Altra Europa con Tsipras (Italy), the animal rights defence parties from the Netherlands and Germany, Bildu (coalition Los Pueblos Deciden, Spain) and Luke ‘Ming’ Flanagan, an independent MEP from Ireland. Thanks to this increase the GUE/NGL hopes to be able to influence debate in the next mandate and work more effectively for the poor, the excluded, unemployed and young people. Amongst the group’s priorities is the fight to counter austerity, poverty and unemployment, the rejection of the negotiations under the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership and the transition towards a sustainable economy.
  6. Greens/EFA: The Greens/EFA have chosen the German MEP Rebecca Harms and the Belgium MEP Philippe Lamberts to be co-presidents of their group in the European Parliament. The Austrian MEP Ulrike Lunacek has been picked to be the group’s candidate for one of the vice-presidence of the European Parliament.

 

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