MEPs are preparing to vote on Tuesday 11 December in plenary session in Strasbourg on the negotiating mandate of Guillaume Balas (S&D, France), rapporteur for the regulation on the coordination of social security systems. A new ordeal for the French deputy, so the results are uncertain.
As a reminder, the vote on the mandate was called for by the majority of the EPP and the ECR in particular (see EUROPE 12148), after an adoption pulled it from the report last month in the Employment and Social Affairs Committee (see EUROPE 12141, 12140). The vote could be close. "51% chance of it passing", says one source. The break lines should follow those that crossed the commission.
On the left, all groups should support the mandate with the exception of some S&D delegations (Netherlands and Denmark delegations) and, possibly, some GUE/NGL MEPs.
Above all, the focus will be on the result of the EPP vote. The group, although having ballooned the mandate, includes a large minority in favour of Mr Balas' report, which includes the French, Spanish, Portuguese and, possibly, Italians.
Within the Liberals, the French delegation would support the report. ALDE's president, Belgian Guy Verhofstadt, also reportedly sided with the proponents of the text. Not surprisingly, the Czechs should not support the mandate.
Within the ELDD, Italians could support the mandate, unlike the British UKIP. The ENF could also be divided, with the shadow rapporteur, Joëlle Mélin (France), being rather in favour of the text. (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)