Strasbourg, 15/07/2009 (Agence Europe) - Michal Kaminski of Poland has been elected president of the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) Group formed by British, Czech and Polish Conservatives. His election comes after failing, on Tuesday 14 July, in the race for vice-presidency of the EP after the candidature the same day and against his party's opinion by Edward McMillan Scott of Britain (according to the press, the group's initial line was for the Polish candidate to hold vice presidency and the group's presidency to go to Timothy Kirkhope, who heads the British Conservative delegation). The group has two chairmanships of parliamentary committees - that of the petitions committee entrusted to Mr McMillan-Scott, and that of the internal market and consumer protection committee, which should have British Conservative Malcolm Harbour in the chair. (A.By./transl.jl)