On Tuesday 23 July, the members of the Committee on International Trade (INTA) re-elected Bernd Lange (S&D, German) as Chair of the INTA Committee. Respected and influential, Mr Lange is starting his fifth two-and-a-half-year term at the head of the INTA Committee since 2014. He first entered the European Parliament in 1994 and has already served six terms. He was elected Chair by acclamation, while no other candidate was nominated by the other groups.
The four vice-chairs of the INTA Committee were also elected by acclamation: Manon Aubry (The Left, French) as first vice-chair; Iuliu Winkler (EPP, Romanian) as second; Karin Karlsbro (Renew Europe, Swedish) as third; and Kathleen van Brempt (S&D, Belgian) as fourth vice-chair.
The parity criteria have thus been met for the INTA bureau, commented Mr Lange after the votes. In a statement, he thanked his colleagues for their confidence, and reiterated the importance he attached to the EU’s trade policy: “Whether we’re talking about the ‘Green Deal’, a proactive industrial strategy or open strategic autonomy, none of this will work without an appropriate trade policy”. (Original version in French by Léa Marchal)