Opposite sides: between The Left and Ecr

Two groups with opposite political positions, The Left and the European Conservatives and Reformists (better known as Ecr), were required to decide their structure for the upcoming years this week. Without further ado, let’s take a look at the positions and the MEPs they chose for these roles.

The Left in the EU

With 47 seats, The Left group (GUE/NGL) aims to represent the voice of the streets. The number of seats changed last week when an Italian party (Movimento 5 Stelle) joined The Left group in the EP. Before this shift, the seats assigned to The Left group were 39, three more than in 2019.

Feminism, environment, workers’ and economic justice, democracy, and liberty are just some of the focuses for The Left, which remains strong despite the new right-wing wave that is emerging.

Manon Aubry (France Insoumise, France) and Martin Schirdewan (DIE LINKE, Germany) are the two co-chairs of the group, both inside and outside the European Parliament. They represent the group all over Europe and also promote a common vision of Europe that prioritizes social and human rights. Aubry is a French politician and former journalist who grew up in a politically left-leaning family, while Schirdewan is a German journalist and politician, serving as co-chair of The Left since June 2022 and an MEP since 2017.

The Bureau, the group’s executive body, consists of two co-chairs, four vice-chairs, the treasurer, and one MEP from each national delegation not already represented by a vice-chair or the treasurer. The Bureau meets once a month. The vice-chairs for the following five years are: the Spanish Irene Montero Gil, the Belgian Marc Botenga, the former Deputy Party Secretary for the Swedish Left Party Hanna Rebecka Gedin, and the former Greek journalist Kostas Arvanitis.

Ecr and its constitution

With an increase of 15 MEPs, the ECR is now the third-largest group in the European Parliament, surpassing Renew Europe, which now has 76 seats. The conservatives of Europe hold 84 seats, aspiring to create jobs and prosperity, safeguard citizens, respect the rights and sovereignty of member states, protect the environment, improve efficiency and efficacy, and cooperate with global partners.

The European Conservatives and Reformists Group is a centre-right political group in the European Parliament, established in 2009 under the founding principles of the Prague Declaration. These principles brought together MEPs from across the European Union who supported a vision of common-sense reform for the entire EU.

The Italian politician Nicola Procaccini and the Polish Joachim Stanisław Brudziński are the Co-Chairmen of the ECR Group in the European Parliament. The vice-chairs are the Belgian Assita Adoua Kanko, Alexandr Vondra, Hermann Tertsch, and Charlie Weimers.

Becoming the third-largest political group in the European Parliament is a significant step for the ECR, which is composed of 21 parties from 19 countries. A more right-wing EU has risen from this election, while the socialists and liberals could not live up to expectations.