Ukip leader Nigel Farage announced on 24th of June a name change of its group in the European Parliament, Europe of Freedom and Direct Democracy will be the new name. Nigel Farage and Giuseppe Grillo in Italy, leader of the Movement 5 stars, formed a Eurosceptic alliance in Parliament earlier in June. In the new Parliament, UKIP will have 24 seats and the Movement 5 star has 17 seats.
On June 24th, the European Parliament group of the Greens/EFA elected unanimously the Austrian MEP Ulrike Lunacek as their candidate for the presidency of the European Parliament. In her speech, Ulrike Lunacek underlined that her candidacy was motivated by the “by the shadowy back room dealings by national governments on the top posts in the EU institutions” and was as such an alternative to the ‘grand coalition’ of the EPP and S&D groups.
The parties had until 23th of June to register as a parliamentary group for the first session of the new Parliament, scheduled for the 1st of July. Following a European vote marked by a rise of eurosceptics in many European countries, their political leaders did not succeed to create a new political group. Vice-president of the National Front, Florian Philippot has confirmed that the National Front has failed to gather enough eurosceptic parties from different countries to form a new political group.
Whilst at the height of the euro crisis some forecast the disappearance of the single European currency, and even quite simply the collapse of Europe, what do things look like now just as the end of the crisis now seems to be turning into a reality? Europeans are particularly concerned about the future. A great majority of them believe that the lives of the young generation will be more difficult than theirs has been. Europe must therefore prepare to rise to the major challenges of tomorrow. How? – by promoting all of its existing assets and especially by improving its weak points. Several things might influence the way Europeans see the future positively: improvements in the economic situation first and foremost, also changes that are due to be made to the European institutions in the follow-up to the last election.
The GUE/NGL group in the European Parliament has published the full list of its members for the coming 2014-2019 Parliament. It claims 52 parliamentarians, meaning 17 more than in the previous term. It has also announced the equal representation of men and women within its group, with 26 female MEPs et 26 male MEPs. With 52 deputies, the GUE/NGL group is the fifth one in terms of size in the European Parliament, before the Greens and after the ALDE.
The group’s release
Nigel Farage, the leader of the British UKIP and chairman of the EFD group in the European Parliament has announced that his group was ready to be formally created. Due to the defection of a French MEP from the Front National (Joëlle Bergeron), Nigel Farage’s group has indeed managed to reach the threshold of representing 7 member States. It now gathers 48 parliamentarians from just 7 member States.
To find out more: Euractiv’s article on the topic
How can the way the European institutions function be improved rapidly? This is the question that the Chairman of the Robert Schuman Foundation, Jean-Dominique Giuliani tries to answer. This paper is based on the belief that European integration is as relevant as ever but that the way it functions has to be revised; therefore it has to be more specific: without changing the treaties, how can the way the common institutions are run be improved, rapidly and in a way that will fulfil most expectations which are multiple and diverse that are now being expressed by the public about “Brussels” – the name which has now become pejorative, easy to wield and unclear? It only requires the personal commitment of the future President of the Commission, of the new Parliament as far as it is concerned and of the Member States in terms of the Council. The European Council on 26th and 27th June 2914 in its quest for renewed impetus might, in line with its vocation, be the trigger and lead to new perspectives.
The Dutch European parliamentarian Bas Belder has announced on June, 16 that he will leave the Farage-lead EFD group for the ECR one in the next European Parliament. This is a tough move for Nigel Farage who sees the circle of his European allies shrink. Some, like the Italian Lega Nord, leave to join the new le Pen-lead formation, while others like Bas Belder chose to ally with the ECR instead. A group needs to consist of at leats 25 MEPs from 7 member States, and has to be formed before June, 24.
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. Elmar Brok, member of the European Parliament, said: “The EPP, in national parliaments and the European Parliament, support the idea of European citizens having a say in the election of the President of the European Commission through the European elections to the European Parliament, as clearly stated in the Lisbon Treaty.”
See the press release from the EPP group
On 12th 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. 78% of Five Star members, or 23,121 people, voted to join Farage’s group. Only 10%, or 2,930 people, voted for the ECR. Five Star bring 17 MEPS to the EFD, which according to a blog emtry by Beppe Grillo, is “open to changing its name.” The same blog also highlighted that Five Star MEPs would be free to vote according to their principles. This is important because of the political differences between UKIP and Grillo’s party.