No representatives of the Visegrad Group were assigned for the EU top jobs for the next term. The situation looks a bit better with regards to the European Parliament posts.
Written by Krzysztof Ryncarz | Euractiv.pl
Last month's agreement saw no V4 representatives at the EU top jobs. Germany’s Ursula von der Leyen was reappointed as the European Commission President, Portuguese António Costa was nominated for the Council President, while Estonian Kaja Kallas will become the new EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.
The European Parliament, on its part, reelected Maltese Roberta Metsola as its president.
The Visegrad MEPs will assume some pretty important posts in the European Parliament, though. In sum, 21 of them will become the vice presidents of the Parliament, quaestors, or members of the presidiums of EP committees or subcommittees. Half of these are Polish.
Polish MEPs to take 11 posts
In total, Poland will have one vice-president of the EU House, one quaestor, two presidents of EP committees, president of one subcommittee, five vice-presidents of committees, and vice-president of one subcommittee.
Consequently, as many as 11 out of 21 V4 MEPs nominated for the posts in the European Parliament will be Polish.
Last week, Ewa Kopacz of prime minister Donald Tusk’s Civic Coalition party (KO, European People's Party) was elected one of 14 EP vice-presidents. She received the second largest number of votes (572). Only German Sabine Verheyen (EPP) had a better result.
Kosma Złotowski of the opposition Law and Justice party (PiS, European Conservatives and Reformists) became one of the Parliament’s five quaestors. He was elected in the second round, having received 335 głosów.
Two Poles were nominated for the heads of EP committees. Borys Budka (KO, EPP) will be the president of the Industry, Research and Energy Committee (ITRE), while PiS’ Bogdan Rzońca (ECR) will chair the Petition Committee (PETI).
Poland will also have five vice-presidents of the committees. KO’s Bogdan Zdrojewski will be the first vice-president of the Culture and Education committee (CULT). Another KO MEP, Jagna Marczułajtis-Walczak, was nominated for the second vice-president of the Employment and Social Affairs Committee (EMPL). Janusz Lewandowski (KO, EPP) will be the third vice-president of the Budget Committee (BUDG), the Left party's (Socialists & Democrats) Robert Biedroń will become the fourth vice-chair of the Development Committee (DEVE), and Kamila Gasiuk-Pihowicz (KO, EPP) will take take up the post of the fourth vice-president of the Internal Market and Consumer Protection Committee (IMCO).
Adam Jarubas of the centre-right Polish People's Party (PSL, EPP) will chair the Public Health Committee (SANT), while Łukasz Kohut (KO, EPP) will be the second vice-president of the Human Rights Subcommittee (DROI).
“Poland’s voice’s getting stronger in the EU,” Andrzej Halicki, head of the Polish delegation in the EPP and the vice-president of the group, noted on X, adding that “there has never been such a strong Polish representation in the presidiums of the committees.”
Fewer posts for other V4 countries
The remaining 10 posts will go to the other Visegrad countries, which does not come as a suprise, given those countries have fewer MEPs. Poland has 53 lawmakers in the new European Parliament, while Czechia and Hungary have both 21, and Slovakia only 15.
What is a surprise is that Slovakia, despite being the country with the smallest delegations of the V4 members, has the second largest delegations in the EP posts. In sum, 5 Slovaks will take up top posts in the Parliament or the committees, which is as many as Czechs and Hungarians combined.
Martin Hojsík of the Progressive Slovakia (PS, Renew Europe) and Miriam Lexmann of the Christian Democratic Movement (KDH, EPP) were elected the Parliament vice-president and quaestor, respectively.
Slovakia will have no presidents of the EPs committees, but it will have three vice-presidents. Ľudovít Ódor (PS, Renew) will be the second vice-president of the Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee (ECON), former Euractiv Slovakia journalist Lucia Yar (PS, Renew) will become the vice-chair of the Budget Committee, while other PS MEP Ľubica Karvašová (Renew) was nominated the vice-head of the Regional Development Committee (REGI).
No Hungarians were elected the EP vice-presidents or quaestors. Hungary will not preside over any of the committees, either. Three members of the opposition Tisza Party (EPP) received the vice-president posts. Gabriella Gerzsenyi will become the first vice-president of the REGI Committee.l, András Tivadar Kulja will be the fourth vice-president of the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety Committee (ENVI), while the Tisza leader Péter Magyar was nominated for the chair of the Constitutional Affairs Committee (AFCO).
The Czech Republic will have the fewest MEPs in the presidiums of the EP committees. Veronika Vrecionová of the prime minister Petr Fiala’s Civic Democratic Party (ODS, ECR) will chair the Agriculture and Rural Development Committee (AGRI), while Luděk Niedermayer of the co-ruling TOP 09 party (EPP) was nominated the third vice-president of the ECON committee.
