Brussels, 20/01/2016 (Agence Europe) - Virtually all the European Parliament's political groups decided on Wednesday 20 January on their lists of members and shadows to join the 45-member inquiry committee into the Volkswagen group scandal, EUROPE has learned. The final composition will be settled during the plenary session in Strasbourg on Thursday 21 January.
The EPP (14 MEPs and 14 shadows) and the S&D (12 MEPs and 12 shadows) had to achieve a double balance in their internal selections. On the one hand, balance had to found between the sizes of the national delegations. And, on the other, the involvement of several Parliamentary committees, in particular, the industry, research and energy (ITRE), the environment, public health and food safety (ENVI) and the internal market and consumer protection (IMCO) committees, had to be determined.
In terms of representation of national delegations, it was of the highest importance for the EPP that German, French, Spanish and Italian MEPs be involved in the inquiry committee both because of the importance of the motor car industry in their respective countries and because they come from the biggest member states, a source close to the matter said. Although the EPP voted against setting up the inquiry committee, the group now intends to be fully involved, in the words of an internal source, placing its MEPs so that it can wield the strongest influence possible.
The two main groups are currently challenging for the posts of chair and rapporteur. No decision had been taken at the time we went to press.
Among the MEPs put forward by the EPP are Wim van de Camp (Netherlands, TRAN), who was the rapporteur on the mid-term review of the transport white paper, and Françoise Grossetête (France, ENVI), who spoke out strongly against setting up an inquiry committee. Grossetête, indeed, opposed the objection on private car emissions, an issue on which the Parliament was particularly divided (see EUROPE 11471). Pablo Zalba Bidegain (Spain, ECON), Ivan Stefanec (Slovakia, IMCO), Sven Schulze (Germany, EMPL), Jens Gieseke (Germany, ENVI), Franck Proust (France, INTA), Roza Gräfin von Thun und Homenstein (Poland, IMCO), Marian-Jean Marinescu (Romania, TRAN), Massimiliano Salini (Italy, TRAN), Ivo Belet (Belgium, ENVI), Claudia Monteiro de Aguiar (Portugal, TRAN), Krisjanis Karins (Latvia, ITRE) and Ildiko Gall-Pelcz (Hungary, Parliament vice-president, IMCO) will represent the EPP.
The Social Democrats are likely to be represented by Ismail Ertug (Germay, TRAN), who has been very active in having the committee set up and a supporter of the objection on emissions, Kathleen van Brempt (Belgium, ITRE), Miriam Dalli (Malta, ENVI), Seb Dance (UK, ENVI), Christine Revault D'allonnes Bonnefoy (France, TRAN), Nikos Androulakis (Greece, AFET) José Blanco Lopez (Spain, ITRE), Karin Kadenbach (Austria, ENVI), Massimo Paolucci (Italy, ENVI), Christel Schaldemose (Denmark, IMCO), Olga Sehnalova (Czech Republic, IMCO) and Carlos Zorrinho (Portugal, ITRE).
The Liberals have selected coordinators Fredrick Federley (Sweden, ITRE), Dita Charanzova (Czech Republic, IMCO), Gerben-Jan Gerbrandy (Netherlands, ENVI) and Dominique Riquet (France, deputy chair of the TRAN committee).
The Greens, who were behind the unsuccessful initial move to set up a committee of inquiry (see EUROPE 11419), will unsurprisingly go for Karima Delli (France, TRAN), Bas Eickhout (Netherlands, ENVI) and also group joint leader Rebecca Harms (Germany).
The radical Left selected Katerina Konecna (Czech Republic, ENVI), Neoklis Sylikiotis (Cyprus, ITRE) and Merja Kyllönen (Finland, TRAN).
The ENF, which is to have two seats on the committee, have for the moment confirmed only Jean-François Jalkh (France, ENVI).
At the time of going to press, the other groups either had not yet decided their definitive lists or did not wish to communicate them. (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)