Ane Barcos/Aquí Europa
MEPs Javi López (PSOE) and Esteban González Pons (PP) have received the support of their political groups to occupy two of the 14 vice-presidential positions of the European Parliament in the new legislative cycle.
Next week, during the constitutive plenary session, MEPs will vote to elect new members of the European Parliament Bureau, including 14 vice-presidents. These vice-presidents will have the responsibility of presiding over the debates in the absence of the president and may assume other functions delegated by the president elected during the same session.
During the outgoing legislature there was no Spanish MEP holding the position of vice-president of the European Parliament, but this could change with the proposals of Javi López (PSOE) and Esteban González Pons (PP), presented by the S&D and PPE parliamentary groups, respectively. If elected, they will vice-president of Parliament for the next five years.
Javi López expressed his gratitude to his colleagues for the trust placed in him and reaffirmed his commitment to strengthening Parliament, addressing the great challenges of the EU and finding solutions to citizens’ problems.
In addition to López, the Social Democrats have proposed Katarina Barley and Pina Picierno, vice presidents during the 2019-2024 legislature, and Victor Negrescu and Christel Schaldemose.
The European People’s Party, for its part, has selected three candidates, including the Spanish Esteban González Pons. Along with him, the group has proposed Ewa Kopacz, who already held the vice presidency in the outgoing legislature, and Sabine Verheyen.
To be elected, candidates must obtain an absolute majority of the votes cast. If not all positions are filled in the first round, a second vote will be held and, if necessary, a third in which the candidates with the highest number of votes are chosen. This election process reflects the political composition of Parliament, ensuring an equitable distribution of seats and representing the political diversity of the European Parliament.
