On Thursday, 27 June, on the sidelines of the European Summit, Valérie Hayer—chair of the Renew Europe political group—indicated that she was continuing to work to welcome new members to the group, which currently has 75 members (see EUROPE 13440/14).
“We will gain some new members, of course. But don’t be [...] concerned about this”, she stated at a Renew Europe pre-summit meeting that brought centrist and liberal leaders together.
“There [are] two issues: numbers [and] the political position. We, as Renew, [...] are at the core of [...] the next coalition with EPP and S&D”, she added.
With regard to the decision on the top European posts that was expected [to be announced] during the European Summit (see other news), Ms Hayer was delighted that liberal Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas had been appointed as the head of European diplomacy—indicating that she had the required “expertise”.
The group’s chair was also asked about the decision to keep the Dutch liberal party VVD in the group.
In the current context, the threat of ousting the party following its alliance with the far right in the Netherlands seems to be nothing more than a distant memory (see EUROPE 13428/1).
“The VVD is an important member of our family and our political group. I’ve said what I have to say about this political decision”, Ms Hayer replied.
Regarding support for Ursula von der Leyen to head the European Commission, Ms Hayer simply indicated that her group would ask her to affirm certain political commitments, notably in the areas of competitiveness, defence, and the rule of law. (Original version in French by Pauline Denys)