By Martin Banks - 11th June 2009
The first plenary promises to be a lively affair
Parliament source
The final results of the European elections show the EPP group won 264 seats compared with the Socialists' 161.
Final figures show 43.2 per cent of Europe’s citizens turned out to vote in the elections, slightly higher than initial estimates.
The Liberal ALDE group picked up 80 seats and the Greens 53. The UEN grouping got 35 seats but this group is expected to splinter in the next few days, with some joining the new "European Conservatives" alliance in the new parliament.
The left-wing GUE group got 32 seats, the Independence Democracy group, including UKIP, 18 with others, including the British National Party, the Czech ODS and British Tories, winning 93 seats.
Hans-Gert Pottering, the outgoing president, was re-elected and is now the only MEP who has served without disruption since the first direct elections in 1979.
The result means that the centre-right will continue to dominate parliament, having gained an increased percentage of votes over the left and liberal groupings.
This means that a pro-free-market, pro-European trend will likely be visible in the work of the parliament over the next five years.
Parliament spokesman Ralf Pine said the 736 new MEPs (down from 782 in the last legislature due to institutional changes) will meet for the first time on 14 July in Strasbourg.
The first session will be chaired by Pottering before a new president is elected. At present, there are four candidates: Martin Schulz, Graham Watson, Mario Mauro and Jerzy Buzek.
Parliament recently changed the rules so that French right-wing firebrand Jean-Marie Le Pen, who was re-elected and is the oldest MEP, could not preside over the opening session.
The political groups have now entered into intense behind-the-scenes negotiatations before a decision on who chairs which committee is taken in Strasbourg.
Traditionally, the most sought-after posts are those of the budgetary control, environmental and foreign affairs committee chairs.
BNP leader Nick Griffin is among those who is expected to be given a hot reception when he makes his first appearance in parliament.
"The first plenary certainly promises to be a lively affair," said a parliament source.
After Strasbourg, there will be a week of committee meetings in Brussels, when the new Swedish presidency of the EU will present its programme to parliament, before the assembly goes into recess for the summer before returning at end of August.
Although elected as members of national political parties, the new MEPs will begin to form themselves into pan-European political groups as soon as they arrive in Strasbourg.
Parliamentary resources, dossiers and speaking time are allocated according to the size of the group, so the formation of the parties involves quite a bit of political horse trading.
To ensure that groups are pan-European, they must have at least 25 members from seven different countries.
There will likely be some new groups emerging, following the withdrawal of the UK Conservative party from the centre-right EPP-ED.
The move comes due to concerns amongst traditionally Eurosceptic British Conservative voters that the EPP-ED is too pro-EU.
The Tories will most likely join up with likeminded parties from central and eastern Europe to form a new right wing political block.
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