Brussels, 10/01/2002 (Agence Europe) - Daniel Cohn-Bendit and Monica Frassoni, Presidents of the Greens/European Free Alliance Group, say in a declaration that they are "convinced that, in the current situation, a candidate from a small group would be the best" to meet the criteria for election of the next President of the European Parliament. The conditions are: political plurality, support for the right of initiative and visibility of each political group, as well as the ability to ensure the credibility and influence of the institution in the up-coming reform process of the European Union. "In that sense, it is important to break the hegemony of the two big groups, which have always divided the post of the EP's President among them, a practice which leads to a reduction of pluralism and autonomy in the Parliament in the long run", they say.
To put it clearly, the Greens/EFA Group (which has 46 members) will therefore vote next week for Pat Cox, candidate for the Liberal Group (which has 52 members) and which is tabling on the support of the EPP-ED Group (232 members). It will not vote for David Martin, the Socialist Group's candidate (181). The Greens specify, however, that during the first round next Tuesday they will present their own candidate, French Green member Gérard Onesta. The latter felt that a candidate of a minority group "will be better motivated to put in place the needed structural reforms of the European Parliament".
We recall that the other candidates for presidency of the Parliament are: Francis Wurtz, President of the United Left/Nordic Greens Left Group (42 members), and Jens-Peter Bonde, President of the Group of Europe of Democracies and Diversities (18 members).