Strasbourg, 25/04/2007 (Agence Europe) - The European Parliament, with the exception of the extreme right and Polish MEPs who supported their government, gave its warm backing to Polish Liberal MEP Bronislaw Geremek, who is facing a legal challenge to his mandate in Poland for not complying with a procedure which has more to do, in his own words, with the “memory police”. Former Foreign Minister Mr Geremek, who was one of the main players in bringing Poland back into European democracy, says in a press release that he had already signed a declaration, during the electoral campaign of three years ago, that he had never collaborated with the Communist-era security services. He now refuses to sign another such declaration, which he sees as an “arbitrary requirement” and which he finds humiliating.
In the plenary session on Wednesday 25 April, British leader of the ALDE group Graham Watson denounced the threat of revocation of Mr Geremek's mandate, which is based on a law that is currently being challenged in the Polish constitutional court. He said that his colleague was refusing to sign the declaration for moral rather than political reasons: he objected to the “witch-hunt which his government seeks”. After being interrupted by prolonged applause for Mr Geremek from three quarters of the chamber, Mr Watson continued with a request that Parliament do everything possible to protect the Polish MEP's mandate. German leader of the Socialist group Martin Schulz said Mr Geremek could count on the “unlimited solidarity” of his group. “It is a scandal that such a great country and the government of Poland is acting in this way,” he added. Similarly, the Greens/EFA, through German joint leader Daniel Cohn-Bendit, expressed their solidarity. “This parliament has only one position to take,” he said. French leader of the GUE/NGL Francis Wurtz added his “deep respect for the political courage” of Mr Geremek and expressed the “total support” of his group. Chairman of the legal affairs committee Giuseppe Gargani (Forza Italia, Italy) promised that his committee would show great sensitivity as regards the independence of the Parliament if called on in this matter. French leader of the EPP-ED group Joseph Daul said the EPP stood by the legal procedures for all members of the Parliament, including Mr Geremek. The brief debate was concluded with the remarks of Irish MEP Brian Crowley, speaking on behalf of the UEN, and French MEP Bruno Gollnisch for the ITS, in a veritable clamour of noise, swelled by the voices of Polish League of Families and Italian Lega Nord MEPs. Session chairman Pierre Moscovici concluded the debate with the announcement that the Conference of Presidents of the political groups would discuss this issue on Thursday. (oj)