Their appointment comes at a time when important decisions are expected to be taken, including the election of the Parliament’s President and the endorsement of the nomination of Josè Manuel Durao Barroso as the President of the new European Commission.
Labour MEPs John Attard Montalto, Louis Grech and Joseph Muscat will be sitting with their Socialist counterparts, while Nationalist MEPs David Casa and Simon Busuttil will be joining their colleagues in the EPP-ED group.
The first vote will be for the election of the European Parliament President. The chosen person will replace outgoing President Pat Cox. An agreement of understanding covering mutual support for the post of president of the European Parliament was reached between the EPP-ED, the largest political group in the EU with 279 seats and the PES (the socialist group), which enjoys 199 seats.
Under the agreement, which covers the legislative period 2004-2009, Josè Borrell, the president of the Spanish delegation of the PES Group, will assume the post for the first half of the legislature while Hans Gert-Poettering, who is chairman of the EPP-ED Group, will take over for the rest of the term.
A new centrist pro-European group, the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats in Europe, has been formed between the Liberals, the Italian centrist “Olive Tree” coalition and the French centre-right UDF. This group has 80 members.
Wednesday’s session will open with an address from the newly-elected President of the Parliament. A debate led by Irish Prime Minster Bertie Ahern regarding the Irish Presidency and the last European Council will follow.
On Thursday, the European Parliament is expected to endorse the appointment of Josè Manuel Durao Barroso. The former Portuguese Prime Minister, who recently stepped down from his post to contest the EU elections, has already won the unanimous backing of the European Parliament.
MEPs will plan individual hearings of the 24 Commissioners. These will be held between 27 September and 4 October. The new commission will take office on 1 November.