(B2, at the Parliament in Brussels) After unanimously hailing the unprecedented rate of participation in these elections, the various political groups and heads of lists announced their strategy for the days and months to come. At the heart of the concerns: the coalitions to come within a split Parliament
Speech by Ska Keller during election night, at the European Parliament in Brussels, Monday May 27 (B2 / Hélène Court-Fortunaz)
18:30 p.m.: first fiery reaction from the Greens
From 18:30 p.m. and the announcement of the first estimates, the Greens hold a victorious briefing in an overheated room in party colors. The co-president, Ska Keller, whose speech is punctuated by enthusiastic applause, announces a long evening and " a big celebration " in perspective. Especially since Germany, where she comes from, records " the best results ever for the Greens at national level, which should double the number of MEPs! »
20:30 p.m.: ALDE, the new "pro-European and reformist center"
« Europe is back and Europe is popular “, rejoices the Belgian Guy Verhofstadt, outgoing president of the ALDE group in the European Parliament, obviously galvanized by the prospect of a group of a hundred deputies. " Today there is a pro-European and reformist center “he assures. Tomorrow, " these 100 seats and this new group will be crucial because, for the first time in 40 years, the two main parties - socialists and conservatives - will no longer have a majority. No solid pro-European majority is possible without the new centre, like-minded reformist parties ". Pragmatically, he predicts: these changes call for a candidate for the presidency of the Commission capable of building a majority across party lines »
21:30 p.m.: signal on the climate and open doors for the GUE
Gaby Zimmer, outgoing president of the GUE, prefers to see the glass half filled with the good turnout, which she welcomes. It is, for her, above all the younger generation (who) brought the change " : she " made these elections climate elections. The grand coalition that has dominated the institutions for years has been denied. This sign needs to be taken seriously.. “She ends in” opening doors for alliances to forge the next parliamentary group.
21:35 p.m .: the conservatives will resist the far right
« Maybe we won't stay third, but we won't accept right-wing extremists just to have a bigger group guarantees German MEP Hans-Olaf Henkel (ECR), rejecting the prospect to integrate German extremists into our group ».
21:45 p.m .: the responsibility of the EPP
The Dutch Esther de Lange speaks first on behalf of the EPP in the hemicycle transformed into a press room. His message to the center is direct: We will have to work from the center to find a majority. The EPP wants to strengthen the center ". Because although it has lost seats, the EPP has " good chance of becoming the most important group. This gives us the responsibility to start negotiations and take the lead »
21:50 p.m.: Socialists campaigning for the European Commission
The German Udo Bullmann, president of the S&D group, puts the group's candidate, Frans Timmermans, for the presidency of the European Commission, the only subject at the heart of the European Council meeting on Tuesday (28 May). " We see this evening that the EPP no longer has the result nor the political force. They can no longer pretend to define who will be the next president. We need a new coalition he analyzes. " Our lead candidate will use the UN Sustainable Development Goals as a roadmap for his policy when he becomes the new Commission President ".
00:20 am: the EPP defends the Spitzenkandidat
While the ALDE centrists reject the Spitzenkandidat system, Manfred Weber, Spitzenkandidat for the Christian Democrats of the EPP, asks Parliament to confirm the choice of this method to appoint the future President of the European Commission. As for the strength of the EPP, it remains established for him: “ If people take Parliament seriously, the Council should also take it seriously. Parties have to respect who is number 1, 2, 3. In our case, I don't feel a powerful victory today, but I'm glad we won ».
00:30 a.m.: Frans Timmermans lends his hand to reconciliations
« We can see that progressives produce results and that nationalism only generates fear and hatred. Let's stand with the progressives in this Parliament and build an agenda to lead the EU for the next 30 years reacts the Spitzenkandidat of the S&D. More specifically, he sees a possibility of a majority without the EPP ».
00:40 a.m.: the Greens will decide
« We campaigned on climate change, social justice and the rule of law. We will make it very clear that any President of the Commission will have to be very clear on these matters says Ska Keller.
(Coline Traverson and Hélène Court-Fortunaz, with Leonor Hubaut and Emmanuelle Stroesser)
