Brussels, 15/07/2004 (Agence Europe) - The European Parliament will be meeting for a plenary session on 20 July in Strasbourg for the constitutive session following June's European elections. On the eve of this session, the 732 MEPs will go to the different political groups, distributed between the seven political groups and the non-attached members:
EPP-EE (European People's Party - European Democrats): 268 members. The group brings together Christian Democrats and Conservatives and is presided by the German, Hans-Gert Pöttering.
PES (Party of European Socialists): 200 members. The group brings together socialists and social-democrats and is presided by the German, Martin Schulz.
ALDE (Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe): 88 members. The group brings together Liberals and centrists and is presided by the Briton, Graham Watson.
Greens/EFA (Greens/European Free Alliance) 42 members. The group brings together Greens and regionalists together and is co-presided by the German, Daniel Cohn-Bendit and the Italian, Monica Frassoni.
GUE/NGL (European United Left /Green Nordic Left): 41 members. The group of left-wingers is presided by Francis Wurtz. from France.
IND/DEM (Independence/Democracy): 33 members. The group brings together Britons from UKIP, who are requesting the withdrawal of their country from the Union and the anti-Community Danish and Swedish members. It is co-presided by Briton Nigel Farage and the Dane Jens-Peter Bonde.
UEN (Union for a Europe of Nations): 27 members. The group is co-presided by Irishman Brian Crowley and the Italian Cristiana Muscardini.
Non-attached: 33 MEPs for the time being.
These figures are likely to change. More definitive information on the MEPs are included in EUROPE Documents No. 2373 which is annexed to this bulletin.