UKIP co-lead opposition grouping in European Parliament.
Posted 23:15 by Eurosceptic News in Labels: UKIP co-lead opposition grouping in European Parliament.
The Europe of Freedom and Democracy group, comprising 30 MEPs from eight countries, includes UKIP who have 13 MEPs and Italy's Lega Nord who have 9 MEPs and are in coalition government with Silvio Berlusconi.
Lega Nord were in the UEN group in the last parliament but have now joined forces with UKIP. Like UKIP, Lega Nord were successful in the European Election, doubling the number of seats it won from four to eight and winning 9.5% of the vote in Italy compared with 5% in the 2004 elections.
Leadership of the new group will be split between UKIP leader Nigel Farage and Frencesco Speroni from Lega Nord.
Speaking at the group's first meeting, Farage also confirmed the group will not give its support to Jose Manuel Barroso in his attempts to win a second term as commission president. Farage admitted that the "campaign to unseat" Barroso was still likely to end in failure.
With regards to the new group, Farage said it would provide a "much-needed voice of opposition" in the Euro Parliament, just as the Independence and Democracy group had done in the 2004 - 2009 Parliament. He said it was striking that in the last parliament the EPP and Socialists, parliament's two biggest groups, had voted together on major policy issues on 97 per cent of occasions. "We are going to try and fight this cosy consensus," he said. "I am confident we can make a difference. If we don't then who will?"
Other comments came from other members of the group, including Morten Messerschmidt, of the Danish People's Party, who said the group would "speak out against further EU integration."The group also includes Philippe de Villiers, elected on a Libertas ticket, and former EU "whistleblower", UKIP MEP Marta Andreasen. She said the group would propose her for a deputy chairmanship of the key budgetary control committee, adding, "It is an important post and one where I could make a real impact."
The group has two MEPs from Denmark and two from Greece, one each from Finland, France, Slovakia and the Netherlands as well as the UK and Italian members.
Lega Nord were in the UEN group in the last parliament but have now joined forces with UKIP. Like UKIP, Lega Nord were successful in the European Election, doubling the number of seats it won from four to eight and winning 9.5% of the vote in Italy compared with 5% in the 2004 elections.
Leadership of the new group will be split between UKIP leader Nigel Farage and Frencesco Speroni from Lega Nord.
Speaking at the group's first meeting, Farage also confirmed the group will not give its support to Jose Manuel Barroso in his attempts to win a second term as commission president. Farage admitted that the "campaign to unseat" Barroso was still likely to end in failure.
With regards to the new group, Farage said it would provide a "much-needed voice of opposition" in the Euro Parliament, just as the Independence and Democracy group had done in the 2004 - 2009 Parliament. He said it was striking that in the last parliament the EPP and Socialists, parliament's two biggest groups, had voted together on major policy issues on 97 per cent of occasions. "We are going to try and fight this cosy consensus," he said. "I am confident we can make a difference. If we don't then who will?"
Other comments came from other members of the group, including Morten Messerschmidt, of the Danish People's Party, who said the group would "speak out against further EU integration."The group also includes Philippe de Villiers, elected on a Libertas ticket, and former EU "whistleblower", UKIP MEP Marta Andreasen. She said the group would propose her for a deputy chairmanship of the key budgetary control committee, adding, "It is an important post and one where I could make a real impact."
The group has two MEPs from Denmark and two from Greece, one each from Finland, France, Slovakia and the Netherlands as well as the UK and Italian members.
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