The European Parliament applies a cordon sanitaire to the Orbán and Vox group also in the distribution of committees

As the third largest group in the European Parliament (with 84 seats), the Patriots for Europe They were assigned 2 committee presidencies and 7 vice-presidencies, According to the original cast leaked by PoliticoHowever, the ‘grand coalition’ of the Popular Party, Socialists and Liberals has reached an agreement to exclude them from any position of power and has awarded these positions to other groups.

One of those affected has been the leader of Vox in Brussels, Jorge Buxadéwho was running for the fourth vice-presidency of the Environment Committee, which ultimately went to the EPP. “It is an honour for me not to have been elected by this committee. A committee which, like the plenary last week, decided to break the democratic rules of this Parliament“, said Buxadé in a tense intervention in which he snapped at another MEP: “Shut your mouth, I’m talking”.

[El Parlamento Europeo aplica el cordón sanitario al grupo de Orbán y Vox pero no a Meloni]

The cordon sanitaire against the Patriots for Europe was applied for the first time last week in the election of the 14 vice-presidents of the European Parliament. The exclusion also affects the smaller far-right group, Europe of Sovereign Nations (led by Alternative for Germany). However, The ‘grand coalition’ has saved the European Conservatives and Reformists, Giorgia Meloni’s group. In fact, Vox did have access to a vice-presidency last term of the Agriculture Committee because it was then attached to Meloni’s group.

In Tuesday’s distribution, the European Conservatives and Reformists (who are the fourth group in the European Parliament with 78 seats) have achieved the presidency of the committees of Agriculture, Budgets and Petitionsas well as a dozen vice-presidencies.

As for the Spanish, the Popular Party has obtained two committee presidencies: Civil Liberties, Justice and Interior, where Javier Zarzalejos will replace the socialist Juan Fernando Lopez Aguilar; and the Fishing one for Carmen Crespo, formercounselor of Agriculture, Water and Rural Development of the Andalusian Government.

“The Spanish PP has achieved in the previous legislature that the Civil Liberties Committee is asking End amnesties and pardons for corruption and, among many other initiatives, to defend victims of terrorism such as those of ETA in Spain,” said the leader of the PP in Brussels, Dolors Montserrat.

For its part, Socialist Lina Gálvez will chair the Women’s Rights Committee and Gender Equality, whose leadership has the largest number of Spaniards. Podemos MEP Irene Montero will be second vice-president and the PP’s Rosa Estarás third vice-president.

“Women’s rights and the goal of gender equality must remain central, especially now that they are in the crosshairs of anti-democratic proposals. Europe will not tolerate the chainsaw model that undermines our rights, while leaving us unprotected and dispossessed. Europe must end the democratic deficit that represents the lower participation of women in decision-making spaces and protect women’s rights“, Gálvez stressed.

The PP has also achieved the first vice-presidency of the Environment Committee for Esther Herranz; the first vice-presidency of Petitions for Montserrat and the second vice-presidency of Constitutional Affairs for Adrian Vazquez. For her part, the PSOE MEP Hana Jalloul has been elected Vice-Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee. Diana Riba (ERC) holds the third vice-presidency of the Culture Committee. And the leader of Sumar in the European Parliament, Estrella Galán, will be the third vice-president of Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs.

The European Parliament’s committees process legislative proposals, appoint teams to negotiate with EU governments, adopt reports, organise hearings and carry out oversight and control tasks over other EU bodies and institutions.