After the mid-term elections in the committees, the European Conservatives and Reformists Group has secured one committee chairpersonship and eight committee vice-chairpersonships for the second half of the legislature. The co-chairmen of the ECR Group, Polish MEP Prof Ryszard Legutko and Italian MEP Raffaele Fitto, expect more constructive cooperation between the different parliamentary groups in the remainder of the 2019-2024 parliamentary term.

“It is obvious that the ECR Group will again play a central role in the committees”, Mr Fitto commented, with Prof Legutko adding: “The voice of the ECR Group is needed more than ever to restore the balance of power in the committees”.

Flemish ECR MEP and former Belgian Finance Minister Johan van Overtveldt was re-elected as chairman of the Committee on Budgets.

The Following ECR MEPs have been elected as vice-chairpersons of committees:

• Polish MEP Witold Jan Waszczykowski: Vice-chair in the Committee on Foreign Affairs,
• Czech MEP Jan Zahradil: Vice-chair in the Committee on International Trade,
• Dutch MEP Michiel Hoogeveen: Vice-chair in the Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee,
• Spanish MEP Mazaly Aguilar: Vice-chair in the Committee on Agriculture,
• Italian MEP Raffaele Stancanelli: Vice-chair in the Legal Affairs Committee,
• Polish MEP Prof Zdzisław Krasnodȩbski: Vice-chair in the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy,
• Latvian MEP Dace Melbārde: Vice-chair in the Committee on Culture and Education,
• Polish MEP Ryszard Czarnecki: Vice-chair in the Committee on Petitions.

Prof Legutko and Mr Fitto congratulated all those elected.

Nevertheless, the conservatives are not entirely satisfied. According to the d’Hondt method, the ECR Group should also have been given the chairpersonship of the Employment and Social Affairs Committee (EMPL). However, after internal agreements between the large so-called pro-European groups and by ignoring the d’Hondt method, the position went to the Renew Europe Group.

Mr Fitto said: “It is good democratic tradition to include the smaller groups in the parliamentary process. Unfortunately, this was not respected in the EMPL Committee, despite ECR MEPs proving to be a critical but constructive force there.”

Prof Legutko added: “In any normal parliament, it is customary to allow the opposition to participate equally as committee chairs and in internal cross-group bodies. It looks like the so-called pro-Europeans first have to re-internalise their democratic sentiments, which they always carry as a shield in front of them. O tempora, o mores.”