Brussels, 05/06/2014 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday 4 June, the European People's Party (EPP) claimed for itself six members of the Romanian National Liberal Party (PNL) - which had hithero sat with the ALDE Group - as well as two representatives from the Romanian People's Movement Party (PMP). This created problems with the ALDE Group - which still claims the PNL among its own ranks.
With the arrival of a Lithuanian representative, the EPP now has 222 MEP seats - with further developments still possible, according to the party. The EPP claimed these new arrivals and this number of 222 MEP seats back on 3 June - before EPP leader Joseph Daul had the chance to make the marriage of these new members with the EPP official.
Thanking these representatives from the Romanian Centre-Right at a press conference on Wednesday 4 June, Daul said that they “will easily be in the EPP. Their statutes just need to be deposited. There is no need to wait for the congress”, he said in response to ALDE.
The previous day, the Liberals had published a press release in which they said that, under the regulations, the PNL was part of ALDE and that any change in the statutes should be adopted on 28 June at the PNL congress organised to appoint a successor to its leader, Crin Antonescu (who resigned announcing that he intended to join the EPP).
“But no official decision has been sent to the EPP by the PNL”, the Liberals state, noting a readiness by the conservative party to review its troops. “The EPP is taking huge liberties because there are certain rules that need to be respected”, says Didrik de Schaetzen who is responsible for communication in the ALDE Party.
Czechs from ANO in ALDE. On 4 June, Guy Verhofstadt's ALDE Group certainly hailed the arrival of the Czech centrist party ANO, which brought four new seats to ALDE. A vote within the group is nevertheless still needed to make ALDE's rapprochement with ANO official. ALDE currently holds 59 seats - without the PNL which has been counted for the EPP.
Another issue will also soon have to be decided upon -whether the Belgian nationalist N-VA party will sit with ALDE. The N-VA is soon due to decide whether to address an official request to ALDE, and Verhofstadt will have to confirm, following a vote, whether ALDE accepts colleagues from Bart de Wever's N-VA party. (SP)