Liberalen steunen kandidatuur Bronislaw Geremek voor voorzitterschap EP (en)

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - MEPs were on Tuesday (13 July) urged to vote according to their conscience on the next head of the European Parliament, even as the two biggest groups stitched up a power deal between them.

Leader of the liberals Graham Watson said his fellow MEPs should vote "according to their conscience and their convictions".

Presenting the liberal candidate for president of the Brussels assembly, Polish former foreign minister Bronislaw Geremek, Mr Watson implied that deputies should break the party line as the vote is a "secret ballot".

"We're playing to win here", said Mr Watson.

His group argues that electing a president from a new member state and a former dissident who fought for democracy in Europe would send a very positive and tangible signal to citizens in Europe.

Deal

However, the liberals efforts come as the two biggest groups in the European Parliament, the centre-right EPP and the Socialists, formalise a long expected 'technical arrangement' between them.

This arrangement touches on both the president of the parliament and who gets to chair which committees in the Brussels assembly.

Under the agreement, centre-right MEPs are to support a socialist candidate to lead the parliament for the first half of its term (Spanish MEP Josep Borrell) while socialist MEPs are to return the favour and support a centre-right candidate (probably German MEP Hans-Gert Pöttering) for the second half.

"The EPP-ED and PES parliamentary groups in the European Parliament concluded today an agreement of understanding for the legislative period 2004 - 2009 covering mutual support for the post of President of the European Parliament", said a press release from the centre-right on Tuesday.

Hearing

Defending the decision, Mr Pöttering, who has also been re-elected leader of the group, argued that "pluralism" in the Parliament is not being threatened by the arrangement.

However, some other groups in the parliament also continue to push against the technical arrangement.

The Greens, who are pushing for a presidency shared by both Mr Borrell and Mr Geremek, will give a hearing to both candidates today.

MEPs as a whole will vote for their president next week (20 July) - where the voting could go for up to four rounds.