Brussels – Two Italians heading a committee and a subcommittee, the cordon sanitaire against the far-right, the overwhelming power of Germany: On the eve of the election of top committee positions in the EU Parliament, the lists of candidates of the political groups of the constitutional arc in Brussels (all except Patriots for Europe and Europe of Sovereign Nations) are beginning to leak out for the chairmanships in the 10th legislature, after balances were restored last week at the inaugural session in Strasbourg by the confirmation of Roberta Metsola (EPP) as number one in the EU Parliament and the appointment of her 14 deputies, including Italy’s Pina Picierno (PD) and Antonella Sberna (FdI).
As Eunews learned from various sources in the political groups in the EU Parliament, the former mayor of Bari and MEP of the Democratic Party, Antonio Decaro, is the candidate of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D) for the chairmanship of the Environment, Public Health, and Food Safety committee (ENVI), while former INPS (Italian Social Security Institute) President and newly elected from the ranks of the 5-Star Movement, Pasquale Tridico, is the Left Group’s candidate for the chairmanship of the Fiscal Issues (FISCAL) subcommittee. Thus, the confirmation of the re-elected Forza Italia member Salvatore De Meo (who is expected to become president of the EU-NATO delegation in September) at the helm of the Constitutional Affairs Committee (AFCO), who will be succeeded by his German colleague in the European People’s Party (EPP) group, Sven Simon, and that of the Democrat Irene Tinagli at the Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee (ECON), in favour of her French Social Democrat colleague Aurore Lalucq, are all but cancelled.
With regard to the distribution of the future presidents of the 20 parliamentary committees and four subcommittees—all of whom will be elected tomorrow morning (July 23) between 9:00 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.—if all goes as planned, the Populars will get eight, the Social Democrats five, the Liberals of Renew Europe, the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) and the Greens/Ale three each, and the Left two. Germany will dominate the ranking of top positions in parliamentary committees with seven chairpersons, followed distantly by Poland and Spain with three, Italy and France with two chairs, and the other seven from Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Finland, Greece, Ireland and Romania.
Below are all the candidates nominated by political groups for the chairs of parliamentary committees and subcommittees:
- Foreign Affairs Committee (AFET): David McAllister (EPP, Germany)
- Development Committee (DEVE): Barry Andrews (Renew, Ireland)
- International Trade Committee (INTA): Bernd Lange (S&D, Germany)
- Budgets Commitee (BUDG): Johan Van Overtveldt (ECR, Belgium)
- Budgetary Control Committee (CONT): Niclas Herbst (EPP, Germany)
- Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee (ECON): Aurore Lalucq (S&D, France)
- Employment and Social Affairs Committee (EMPL): Li Andersson (The Left, Finland)
- Environment, Public Health and Food Safety Committee (ENVI): Antonio Decaro (S&D, Italy)
- Industry, Research and Energy Committee (ITRE): Borys Budka (EPP, Poland)
- Internal Market and Consumer Protection Committee (IMCO): Anna Cavazzini (Greens/Ale, Germany)
- Transport and Tourism Committee (TRAN): Elissavet Vozemberg-Vrionidi (EPP, Greece)
- Regional Development Commission (REGI): Adrian-Dragoş Benea (S&D, Romania)
- Agriculture and Rural Development Committee (AGRI): Veronika Vrecionová (ECR, Czech Republic)
- Fisheries Committee (PECH): Carmen Crespo Díaz (EPP, Spain)
- Culture and Education Committee (CULT): Nela Riehl (Greens/Ale, Germany)
- Legal Committee (JURI): Ilhan Kyuckyuk (Renew, Bulgaria)
- Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs Committee (LIBE): Javier Zarzalejos (EPP, Spain)
- Constitutional Affairs Committee (AFCO): Sven Simon (EPP, Germany)
- Women’s Rights and Gender Equality Committee: (FEMM) Lina Gálvez (S&D, Spain)
- Petitions Committee (PETI): Bogdan Rzońca (Ecr, Poland)
- Human Rights Subcommittee (DROI): Mounir Satouri (Greens/Ale, France)
- Security and Defense Subcommittee (SEDE): Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann (Renew, Germany)
- Tax Matters Subcommittee (FISC): Pasquale Tridico (The Left, Italy)
- Subcommittee on Public Health (SANT): Adam Jarubas (EPP, Poland)
