Martin Schulz leider Socialistische fractie EP (en)

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - The socialists have elected Martin Schulz to head their group in the European Parliament.

The German was overwhelmingly chosen - by 158 votes out of 179 - to head the group following a meeting on Monday (5 July).

The 48-year old, who came to European-wide fame last year after being insulted with a Nazi slur by Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, will take over from Spaniard Enrique Baron Crespo.

He was also the only candidate for the post.

Monday's vote also means that the two biggest groups in the European Parliament, the centre-right European People's Party and Socialists, will be headed by Germans as Hans-Gert Pöttering was voted in by his group last week.

With their group leader in place, the next item on the agenda for the socialists is deciding who will be 'their' president of the European Parliament.

The group will decide early on Tuesday morning (6 July) and the race has come down to two candidates - Spanish MEP Josep Borrell and UK colleague Terry Wynn.

The last two standing

According to sources, Mr Borrell, who was active in the Felipe González government, may have the edge on Mr Wynn.

However, one Socialist insider cautioned that his lack of experience as an MEP may count against him. By contrast, Mr Wynn has had years of experience as an MEP and was chair of the Budget Committee during the last parliament.

The other two candidates, Austrian Hannes Swoboda and Slovene Borut Pahor, are thought only to have an outside chance at the post.

Whoever does become president of the assembly for the socialists will head the parliament for the next two and a half years.

After this, according to the traditional power-sharing arrangement with the centre-right European People's Party (EPP) - to be formally published on Wednesday - a centre-right MEP would take over. This is set to be Mr Pöttering.

Committee power

There is also much behind the scenes wrestling over who is in charge of which committee in the European Parliament.

The centre-right, the socialists and the liberals are all having internal group discussions this week on just this issue.

For its part, the EPP, which is meeting in Budapest, is looking to hold on to both the powerful foreign affairs committee and budgetary control committee.

All of this will be formalised during the first meeting of the new European Parliament on 20 July in Strasbourg.

In that session, the European Parliament will vote as a whole on its president, its vice-president, the Quaestors (officers responsible for administrative matters relating directly to MEPs) and the chairs and vice-president of the committees.