The hearings, held in Brussels, were attended by PN MEPs Dr Simon Busuttil and David Casa.

On Wednesday 14 July, Bronislaw Geremek, former Polish foreign minister who is standing on the ticket of the European Liberals, addressed the EPP group. On Thursday, it was the turn of Josep Borrell from Spain who is standing on the ticket of the European Socialists (PES). Answering questions from EPP members Mr Borrell said that there was a technical agreement between the European Socialists and the EPP whereby the EPP would support a Socialist candidate for the presidency of the European Parliament for the first two-and-a-half years of the new legislature.

The European Socialists would then support the candidature of EPP president Hans-Gert Poettering for the presidency of the European Parliament in the second half of its terms. Asked on whether the European Socialists intended to support the nomination of Josè Barroso (EPP) as the new president of the European Commission in a crucial vote to be taken next week in Strasbourg, Borell said that although there was no formal arrangement on this point, there was an understanding that Barroso would get the support of Socialist MEPs this week.

He added that Barroso should easily make it in this week’s vote during the constitutive week of the new legislature of the European Parliament. He said that the agreement between the EPP and the European Socialists was a technical agreement, not a political one. This means that the two sides were not agreeing on common political ideas. But it was in everyone’s interest to ensure stability in parliamentary work. Together, the EPP and the European Socialists command a majority of almost two-thirds in the new European Parliament.

Dr Simon Busuttil and David Casa attended the EPP-ED group’s constitutive meetings held between 12 and 14 July in Brussels. The 228 MEPs elected from EPP party lists decided to accept applications from 40 MEPs to make an EPP-ED group of 268 MEPs in total. The number of members elected from EPP party lists is proportionally slightly larger in the new Parliament than was the case in the outgoing Parliament.

With 268 members the EPP-ED group is by far the largest political group in the European Parliament and the only political grouping with MEPs from all 25 member states.