The decision by the pan-European Volt party to join one of the groups in the European Parliament is the subject of an internal vote which began on Thursday 20 June and will end on Sunday evening. However, the balance was heavily in favour of the Greens/EFA group, while the Renew Europe group was also in the running.
The five newly elected Volt MEPs, three Germans and two Dutch, set out their preference in an internal letter circulated on 20 June, a copy of which has been sent to Agence Europe.
At the end of the negotiations, “both groups more or less offered us the committees we wanted to get – which is super important to be able to do our work”, said the Volt MEPs. However, they are “unanimously” in favour of staying with the Greens/EFA.
In particular, they cite the work carried out by their only MEP, Germany’s Damian Boeselager, with the European environmentalists during the 2019-2024 legislature. While Renew Europe is compatible on many issues, the positions of the Greens/EFA on the Rule of law, migration, and above all the fight against far-right populists, have made the difference.
The presence at Renew Europe of the Czech party ANO and the Dutch party VVD, which governs with the far right in the Netherlands, is a source of concern for the five MEPs. “For us, the repercussions within Renew Europe of the VVD’s support for Mr Wilders are insufficient”, said a source inside the pan-European party.
The five MEPs therefore prefer to be affiliated to a group which, although smaller, they feel could be influential. “Within the Greens, we would almost be 10% of the group, making it more possible for us to play a role in where the group is heading”, argue the five MEPs.
For the Greens/EFA, the group’s Co-President, Dutch MEP Bas Eickhout, expressed optimism about Volt’s participation at a press briefing on Wednesday 19 June (see EUROPE 13435/6). (Original version in French by Léa Marchal)