By Martin Banks - 12th November 2007
Controversial French MEP Bruno Gollnisch was reportedly making last-minute efforts on Monday to save parliament’s Independence, Tradition and Sovereignty (ITS) group from being disbanded.
The assembly’s president, Hans-Gert Poettering, was expected to announce the disbandment of the group at the opening of the plenary in Strasbourg today.
But well-placed sources said Gollnisch was trying to come to an agreement with Polish MEPs in an effort to the group.
The parliamentary insider said, “He is trying to stitch up a deal with the League of Polish Families. It appears to be a desperate attempt to save the group.”
ITS, which was set up in January, appeared to have dissolved on Thursday last week following a walk-out by five Romanian members.
The move meant the group now has 18 MEPs, two short of the required 20 to remain a valid group.
Meanwhile, German Socialist MEP is among those who welcomes the likely disbandment of the group.
He said, "Nationalism and racism are often closely linked. This now became apparent again in the statements of Alessandra Mussolini, who, against the background of the murder of an Italian woman by a Romanian, accused all Romanians of a criminal life style.”
He welcomed the decision of the five Romanian MEPs of the Greater Romania Party to leave the group of the group, to which the Front National of Jean-Marie Le Pen also belongs.
"For parliament this break-up of the nationalist group is not a loss but a gain. Its programme and its aims are in any way not consistent with the spirit and the idea of an integrated Europe."
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