European Parliament Opens Amid Protest And Discord
European Parliament opens amid protest and discord
The European Parliament has reopened in Strasbourg, with an anti EU protest by the UK's Brexit Party as well as a demonstration by Catalan nationists whose EUMEPs are barred.
The first session of the European-wide elections in May ended with EU leaders entering into a third day's discussion about who should fill top positions within the bloc.
On Tuesday, a plan was revealed to name Ursula von der Leyen, the German Defence Minister, as the Commission President.
An earlier compromise deal collapsed.
According to German website Die Welt (and other reports), Ms Von der Leyen was being considered for top job. Charles Michel, Belgian Prime Minister is being considered as a candidate for the presidency of the European Council.
Christine Lagarde is being cited as a possible new head of the European Central Bank. The French head of the International Monetary Fund served as economy minister during Nicolas Sarkozy's presidency.
What happened at the parliament?
Hundreds of Catalan demonstrators protested that three separatist figures were unable to take their seats, as inside the chamber fellow MEPs placed photos of the missing members on their desks.
Ex-Catalan president Carles Puigdemont and colleague Toni Comin were barred from taking their seats because they had fled to Brussels after a banned referendum on independence went ahead and had not attended a swearing-in ceremony in Madrid as required. Oriol Junqueras is another separatist leader currently in Spain and being tried.
Irish Sinn Fein MEP Matt Carthy warned that the parliament's credibility would be undermined if it did not stand up for the voters of Catalonia.
As outgoing speaker Antonio Tajani convened the new session, MEPs rose for the EU's anthem, Beethoven's Ode to Joy, accompanied by a saxophone quartet. However, not everyone stood. The UK's Brexit Party, which is anti-EU, turned its back on the rendition.
@brexitparty_uk MEPs make a backslide as the EUropean song is played in Europe's Parliament. "You stand for the anthem of another country," chides EP Pres @Antonio_Tajani pic.twitter.com/tXsYRHf7Wk
Mr Tajani stated, "Rising to one's feet is a matter for respect." "It does not mean that you necessarily share the views of the European Union. Even if you are listening to the anthem from another country, you still have to get up to sing along. DISCORD SERVER
Their action came after party leader Nigel Farage promised a spirit of "cheerful defiance".
What are the clear trends arising from the EU elections
Pro-EU Liberal Democrats put on their own show, sporting "Stop Brexit” T-shirts.
The @LibDems MPs are now gathering for the Strasbourg session with their signature "b ****cks of #Brexit” tee-shirts. pic.twitter.com/pvdlNqL5W8
- Adam Fleming, @adamfleming, July 2, 2019,
The BBC is not responsible of the content of external sites. See original tweet on Twitter
Is there a summit agreement?
EU leaders reconvened in Brussels for their third consecutive day after a reported compromise deal that would have seen Dutch Labour leader Frans Timmermans head the Commission with centre-right Bulgarian Kristalina Georgieva taking the other key job of European Council president.
The deal was thwarted by the four Visegrad countries of Poland, Hungary and Czech Republic, who backed Italy to block the plan. Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis said Mr Timmermans was "unacceptable" and a "total catastrophe".
A new compromise emerged after hours of phone diplomacy involving EU leaders and outgoing Council President Donald Tusk, who was seen heading for the talks with his mobile phone to his ear.
After Giuseppe Conte, an Italian politician, said he would be happy with a woman president of the Commission, that idea gained momentum when Ursula von der Leyen was suggested as a possible candidate. She has not been considered a frontrunner.
Why is it so difficult to find a solution?
Political horse-trading has always been part of choosing the names for the top EU jobs, but EU elections at the end of May have shifted influence away from the two biggest groups in the European Parliament, the centre-right EPP and the Socialists and Democrats (S&D).
Even if the German defense minister wins, it is a defeat to Manfred Weber's candidate for the EPP, but still a victory for Angela Merkel's ruling CDU.
This discussion includes more than just the Commission presidency. The leaders also need to agree on four other top posts:
European Council president (to succeed Donald Tusk).
High Representative for international policy (to replace Federica Muggherini).
President of the European Parliament
President of European Central Bank
On Wednesday, the European Parliament elects its president. This will increase pressure on EU leaders. MEPs will also need to approve the nominations of leaders for the position of Commission chief.
Here are four things you should be watching out for as MEPs return
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