Strasbourg, 17/09/2009 (Agence Europe) - The European Parliament has composed its 40 delegations whereby MEPs conduct regular dialogue with other parliamentary assemblies. Seventeen delegations have elected their Bureaux. The other chairs and vice-chairs will be elected on 29 and 30 September.
The chairs elected on Wednesday 16 and Thursday 17 September are: - ACP (Africa, Caribbean, Pacific): Belgian Liberal Louis Michel will chair this delegation which is also the largest (78 members). The former European commissioner for development cooperation should thus also be elected as co-president of the Joint Parliamentary Assembly, becoming the second Belgian national to hold this post after Léo Tindemans; - Eurolat: Spanish Christian Democrat Ignacio Salafranca; - Andean Community: Spanish Christian Democrat José Manuel Garcia-Margallo y Marfil; - Central America: Dutch Socialist Emine Bozkurt; - Mercosur: Spanish Socialist Luis Yanez-Barnuevo; Mexico: Spanish Socialist Ramon Jauregui; - Chile: Spanish Socialist Maria Paloma Muniz De Urquiza; - Maghreb: Pier Antonio Panzeri (S-D) of Italy; - Mashrek: Mario David (EPP, Portugal); - United States: German Christian Democrat Elmar Brok; - Palestinian Legislative Council: Irish Socialist Proinsias De Rossa; - Israel: Bastiaan Belder (EFD), of the Netherlands; - Turkey: French Green member Hélène Flautre; - Croatia: Gunnar Hökmark (EPP) Sweden; - Countries of South-East Europe: Slovakian Christian Democrat Eduard Kukan; - Korean Peninsula: German Christian Democrat Christian Ehler; - Switzerland, Iceland, Norway and EEA countries: Irish Fianna Fail representative Pat Gallagher (ALDE). (O.J./transl.jl)