Last update on 16 July. This page will no longer be updated.
Political groups
The information below is based on official information from the European Parliament on membership of the Parliament at the start of the constituent session.
Up until the constituent session of the European Parliament on 14 July, national political party delegations in the European Parliament held meetings with sister parties and like-minded parties from other countries with a view to forming transnational political groups.
The existing groups, representing centre-right, centre-left, liberal, Green and Eurosceptic opinion underwent changes as national parties changed their affiliation.
Click the buttons below to read more:
EPP (European People’s Party): The EPP, divested of the British and Czech delegations of the European Democrats who were allied in the EPP-ED, will now become more cohesive and Christian democrat. The German delegation continues to dominate the Group, with the Italians and French also being leading players.
The very good showing for the Polish Civic Platform party gives the Group a stronger Eastern European presence. The Poles were rewarded with the Parliament presidency, in the shape of Jerzy Buzek, although Mario Mauro was strongly pushed forward by the Italian prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi. The strong showing for the French UMP helped ensure that the Group leadership remained with the incumbent, Joseph Daul.
The Group looks like it will be evenly divided between supporters of the social market economy (Germans, French) and supporters of a more liberal economic policy (Poles, Italians). The Group seems set to work fairly closely with the Socialists & Democrats and the ALDE Group in a ‘pro-European’ alliance, although there are sure to be different alliances on various economic and social issues. The results of the German parliamentary elections in September - where a CDU-Liberal alliance is tipped to take over from the current grand coalition - will be important in these equations.
Back To Top
Progressive Alliance of Socialists & Democrats: The Socialists had been brought low by a fairly disastrous set of election results: the German SPD, the powerhouse of the Group, gained only 23 seats; the French delegation was halved and is split between three fratricidal courants; and the British and Dutch Labour parties also fared badly. The German leadership of the Group was assured, but may be distracted by the German elections.
There are some positives for the Group: it seems likely that Italian Democratic Party MEPs join the Group (hence the new ‘Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats’ name) bringing 21 MEPs with it. The Group is also the only one in the Parliament to have MEPs from all member states.
The Socialists & Democrats, with a reduced North-West European contingent, are likely to turn their backs on the unbridled free market and will look to form centre-Left alliances with the Greens and far-Left; however, that will not be enough to overturn a centre-Right, Liberal and Conservative alliance. Even with Liberal votes on social issues, there will be no absolute majority - so the Socialists & Democrats have looked to a three-way alliance with the EPP and ALDE regarding positions in the Parliament and probably on the Commission president.
Martin Schulz (SPD) was re-elected as Group leader.
Back To Top
ALDE (Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe): ALDE lost seats compared to the previous Parliament, and no longer has the power to be the key swing vote to the Left (on social issues) or Right (on social issues). The German Liberals, the FDP, will be the biggest delegation and will give the ALDE Group a more economically liberal bent - especially in alliance with the Dutch VVD and the Belgian MR and Open-VLD. The British Liberal Democrats are also, under their leader (and former MEP), Nick Clegg, more market oriented.
However, there will remain a strong socially-liberal part in the Group and ALDE will remain a bell-weather of majority opinion in the Parliament. The Group also welcomes a new member from Ireland, Fianna Fail, which has left the Union for a European of Nations (UEN) Group. Despite losing seats in the election, Fianna Fail remains in power in Dublin.
As for the Group’s leadership, Guy Verhofstadt, a former Belgian prime minister, replaces Graham Watson.
Back To Top
Greens/EFA: Another Group divided by different courants (ecologists, leftists and moderate nationalists), the Greens will nonetheless be happy with a strong showing and a bigger membership. This membership will be dominated by the German and French Greens. Danny Cohn-Bendit remains co-leader; with Monica Frassoni not re-elected, Rebecca Harms (Germany) was chosen as co-leader.
The Greens’ will be a stronger influence on the Left, but with its natural allies in other Groups losing seats, it may struggle to make an impact on the Parliament as a whole. In addition, the Greens remain a Group representing almost exclusively the EU-15 (with just three out of 55 members from the post-2004 enlargement countries), which could make alliances more difficult.
Back To Top
GUE/NGL: The GUE Group also suffers from the rightward shift of the Parliament and its small membership (only just sufficient to form a Group). With its long-time leader, Francis Wurtz, now retired, Lothar Bisky, from the German Die Linke delegation, takes the reins.
Back To Top
European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR): The much-vaunted moderate Eurosceptic group, with the British Conservatives forming the rump of the membership, has now come about. Poland’s Law and Justice Party and the Czech Republic’s ODS will form the other main constituent parties - and, in some cases, uncomfortable bed-fellows for the Tories, who are trying to exhibit a Greener, more tolerant approach.
However, the Tories’ leader, David Cameron, won great support in his leadership election in 2005 by promising to leave the ‘federalist’ EPP-ED group - and had to deliver to assuage the right wing of his party. However, liberal Conservatives (such as Edward McMillan-Scott, who defied the whip and was expelled on Day 1 of the new parliament) are looking at some of the allies - which include climate change deniers and strong social conservatives - and are more than a little concerned. A range of small, right-wing parties make up the necessary number of delegations to form a group.
This will not really be the successor to the UEN, but will inherit a similar role in the Parliament, sharing similar positions on economic issues with many Liberals and centre-Right MEPs. As a block, the EPP, ALDE and European Conservatives will have a majority. However, the acrimonious divorce from the EPP-ED may signal difficulties - especially if the Group falls apart (it has only eight delegations, with seven being the minimum to form a Group). With the EPP unlikely to welcome back the prodigal sons, a spell as Non-Inscrits would see funding and positions in jeopardy - and uncomfortable physical proximity to the extreme Right.
Back To Top
Europe of Freedom and Democracy: The Independence/Democracy Group seemed set to collapse, with only 18 members of the previous Group and four delegations remaining. The UK Independence Party (UKIP) had a fantastic result, but others - especially the much-hyped Libertas formation - failed at the polls. However, its members - along with a dozen others - have managed to form a new right-wing populist Group, ‘Europe of Freedom and Democracy (EFD). More on this new formation here.
Back To Top
Non-attached (NI): Independents, xenophobes and the extreme-Right make up the rest of the Parliament: without funding or positions, they will shout from the sidelines. The extreme Right attempted to form a Group, but had insufficient numbers.