Effort to quash far-right bid for EP committee jobs

MEPs from across the political spectrum have joined forces to prevent a bid by members of the newly formed far-right group to win vice-chairmanships of Parliamentary committees.

French Front National MEP Marine Le Pen is standing for vice-president of the culture committee while Italian MEP Luca Romagnoli is bidding for a vice-chairmanship of the transport and tourism committee.

Under the Parliament’s rules, the Identity, Tradition and Sovereignty (ITS) group of 20 MEPs has the right to two committee vice-chairs.

But the leader of the Socialist group Martin Schulz has said that members of his group would "never vote for a fascist" or someone who denied the Holocaust. Earlier this month a French court fined French Front National MEP Bruno Gollnisch, the president of the ITS group, €5,000 and gave him a six-month suspended sentence for denying the Holocaust.

The Greens have also pledged to block ITS members from taking up committee posts. Graham Watson, leader of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) group, has said that he will leave it to his members to decide for themselves. Under Parliament rules, committee chairs and vice-chairs have to be agreed by members of the committee.

The outcomes of the votes in committee were due to be announced today (1 February).

MEPs from across the political spectrum have joined forces to prevent a bid by members of the newly formed far-right group to win vice-chairmanships of Parliamentary committees.