composition of groups, European Council, plenary session… What are the next steps after the election of MEPs?

The heads of state of the 27 EU member countries must now agree on several names, including that of the next president of the European Commission.

The European Parliament is in full force. The elections ended on Sunday June 9 with a relative surge in the far right in Europe and a decline in environmentalist groups. A new chapter is opening, in Strasbourg and Brussels, for the 720 MEPs responsible for representing the approximately 450 million citizens of the European Union. Negotiations, first European Council, succession of Ursula von der Leyen at the head of the European Commission… Here are the stages which will mark the coming months.

June 10, start of negotiations for the composition of the groups

Some final results are still awaited – in France, they will only be released later this week – but that does not prevent MEPs from immediately opening political negotiations. First, to compose the political groups of Parliament and choose their leaders. The European People’s Party (EPP), the Socialists and Democrats (S&D), Renew, the Greens, the Radical Left and the two far-right groups, Identity and Democracy (ID) and the European Conservatives and Reformists (CRE), will attempt to attract newly elected parties to swell their ranks.

New groups could also be born, provided they bring together at least 23 deputies from seven different countries. Once the question of the groups has been decided, they will elect their leaders, between the end of June and the beginning of July.

The question of the presidency of the European Parliament will also arise. The position is held by Maltese conservative Roberta Metsola. She is in line for another two and a half year term. Traditionally occupied alternately by an elected official from the center right then the center left, the position will be the subject of intense negotiations. His case will be decided on July 16.

A European Council on June 27 and 28

In parallel with the MEPs’ discussions, the heads of the 27 member states will have to agree on several names, starting with that of the future president of the European Commission. The outgoing Ursula von der Leyen was nominated by the EPP as its candidate. Even if the right came first in the poll, nothing obliges the heads of state and government to reappoint the German politician. The leaders, as well as the President of the Commission and the head of the European Council, Charles Michel, will have the opportunity to discuss it for the first time during an informal dinner on June 17 in Brussels.

A European Council will be convened ten days later, from June 27 to 28. European leaders will discuss key positions, such as the presidency of the Commission, that of the Council and that of high representative for Foreign Affairs, “taking into account the balance between the different political groups, geographical diversity and parity”, explains Politico. In the case of the name of the Commission President, countries must agree by qualified majority, that is, a majority of countries representing a majority of the EU population. Finally, the Council will adopt its “strategic agenda” which will define the main lines of European policy for the next five years.

On July 16, a first plenary session of Parliament

MEPs will meet in Strasbourg on July 16, for their first plenary session. They will first vote to appoint the president of Parliament, as well as its vice-presidents. Parliamentarians will then decide on a date for the confirmation vote for the president of the European Commission. This vote should take place this week. The vote is held by secret ballot and requires a majority to be validated. If Parliament rejects the personality chosen by the European Council, the latter has one month to propose a new name. This scenario has never arisen before.

After the summer, the election of the new Commission

Once the president of the Commission has been validated in office, he or she will need to build its executive, made up of 27 commissioners. Each country is represented by a commissioner. Once chosen, they will be questioned by the European Parliament after the summer, at a date still undefined. Parliamentarians are often very inquisitive and do not hesitate to reject certain personalities. This was particularly the case of Frenchwoman Sylvie Goulard, candidate for the post of European Commissioner for the Internal Market in 2019. It was ultimately Thierry Breton who held the position until then. On December 1, a new president of the Council will also be elected by the States.