Brussels, 08/07/2014 (Agence Europe) - On Monday 7 July, the MEP Elmar Brok (EPP, Germany) was re-elected chair of the committee on foreign affairs of the European Parliament, by acclamation.
Brok, 68, has been a member of the European Parliament since 1980. He is also the president of the Union of European Federalists. The first three deputy chairs, Ryszard Legutko (ECR, Poland), Marina Albiol Guzman (GUE/NGL, Spain) and Romania's Ioan Mircea Pascu (S&D), were elected by acclamation without any problems. However, a vote was required for the fourth deputy chair. Under the D'Hondt system, the fourth deputy chair should have been a member of the EFD Group. However, whilst the EFD put forward Lithuania's Iveta Grigule, the EPP announced the candidacy of Andrej Plenkovic of Croatia. The UK MEP Charles Tannock, of the ECR group, protested at this proposal by the EPP. “If you bend the rules for one group, then you have to do the same for all of the other groups. The D'Hondt rule is there to ensure that all groups are respected, including the minority groups”, he said, stressing that the rule should be followed. Following a secret electronic ballot, Plenkovic was awarded the post of fourth vice-president (by 46 votes to 11). The committee on foreign affairs is the EP committee with the largest number of members, 71. It will meet in Strasbourg on 17 July, and then in Brussels on 1 September. (CG)