What’s New in the Environment Committee

After the voters have had their say, the turnover of MEPs is  63%. For the Environment Committee, it’s 67%. 

Political heavyweights of the Environment Committee will not be there. Julie Girling, Karl-Heinz Florenz, and Françoise Grossetete did not run again. Ivo Belet, Pavel Poc, and Elisabetta Gardini were not re-elected. 

I’ll update this post when the new Environment Committee meets. Notable figures to watch will be returning Chris Davies (ALDE/UK), Sven Giegold (Greens/Germany), and Petra De Sutter (Greens/Belgium).

When turnover is high, a lot of influence for a time lands up in the hands of experienced political staffers and group advisers.

Note: If the UK leaves on 31 October 2019, the UK members will leave.

Key Issues

Since the 1980s, the Environment Committee has been one of the legislative powerhouses of the European Parliament.  I expect it will promote an ambitious agenda, in particular on:

  • Great scrutiny of substance authorisations (e.g. chemicals and pesticides)
  • Support for more ambitious climate action
  • Concrete actions to deliver on  the Sustainable Development Goals

This will be echoed by the upcoming European Council Strategic Agenda (June 20-21), the next Commission President’s Political Priorities, and the next Commission’s Work Programme.

Projected Seat Allocation

My guestimate for seat allocation by political groups is:

ENV – Members 72

  New                                   Previous                   Impact

  • EPP                      17                                           21                                  – 4
  • S&D                     15                                           18                                  –  3
  • ALDE                   10                                           6                                   + 4
  • ECR                      6                                             7                                   – 1
  • GREENS              7                                            6                                    + 1
  • GUE                     4                                             5                                    – 1
  • ENF                      6                                             2                                   + 4
  • EFDD                   5                                             3                                   + 2
  • NI                         3                                             1                                     + 2

MEPs

Note: There may be errors here. It’s based on a dull process of comparing the list of the last parliament’s environment committee (full members), to the list of those elected, and those who stood as candidates.

Re-elected

 

  1. Adina-Ioana VĂLEAN (Chair) (EPP/Romania)
  2. Simona BONAFÈ (S&D/Italy)
  3. Margrete AUKEN (Greens/Denmar
  4. Catherine BEARDER (ALDE/UK)
  5. Seb DANCE (S&D/UK)
  6. Rory PALMER (S&D/UK)
  7. Bas EICKHOUT (Greens/Netherlands)
  8. Miriam DALLI (S&D/Malta)
  9. Kateřina KONEČNÁ (GUE/Czechia)
  10. Peter LIESE (EPP/Germany)
  11. Frédérique RIES (ALDE/Belgium)
  12. Jytte GUTELAND (S&D/Sweden)
  13. Michèle RIVASI (Greens/France)
  14. Piernicola PEDICINI (ENFD/Italy)
  15. Biljana BORZAN (S&D/Croatia)
  16. Jens GIESEKE (EPP/Germany)
  17. Annie SCHREIJER-PIERIK (EPP/Netherlands)
  18. Nils TORVALDS (ALDE/Finland)
  19. György HÖLVÉNYI (EPP/Hungary)
  20. Jean-François JALKH (EFDD/France)
  21. Lukas MANDL (EPP/Austria)
  22. Joëlle MÉLIN (ENFD/France)
  23. Jadwiga WIŚNIEWSKA (ECR/Poland)

 

Returning

  1. Chris Davies (ALDE/UK)

Not Standing

  1. Daciana Octavia SÂRBU (S&D/Romania)
  2. Karl-Heinz FLORENZ (EPP/Germany)
  3. Julie GIRLING (EPP/UK)
  4. Julia REID (ENFD/UK)
  5. Gerben-Jan GERBRANDY (ALDE/Netherlands)
  6. Nessa CHILDERS (S&D/Ireland)
  7. Pilar AYUSO (EPP/Spain)
  8. Gilles PARGNEAUX (S&D/France)
  9. Soledad CABEZÓN RUIZ (S&D/Spain)
  10. Alberto CIRIO (EPP/Italy)
  11. Birgit COLLIN-LANGEN (EPP/Germany)
  12. Stefan ECK (GUE/Germany)
  13. José Inácio FARIA (EPP/Portugal)
  14. Arne GERICKE (ECR/Germany)
  15. Françoise GROSSETÊTE (EPP/France)
  16. Renate SOMMER (EPP/Germany)
  17. Andrzej GRZYB (EPP/Poland)
  18. Francesc GAMBÚS (EPP/Spain)
  19. Bolesław G. PIECHA (ECR/Poland)
  20. Giovanni LA VIA (EPP/Italy)
  21. Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI (ALDE/Finland)
  22. Karin KADENBACH (S&D/Austria)
  23. Jiří MAŠTÁLKA (GUE/Czechia)
  24. Susanne MELIOR (S&D/Germany)
  25. Miroslav MIKOLÁŠIK (EPP/SLovakia)
  26. Damiano ZOFFOLI (S&D/Italy
  27. Davor ŠKRLEC (Greens/Crotia)
  28. Ivica TOLIĆ (EPP/Croatia)
  29. Estefanía TORRES MARTÍNEZ (GUE/Spain)
  30. Damiano ZOFFOLI (S&D/Italy)

 

 

Not re-elected

 

  1. Benedek JÁVOR (Greens/Hungary)
  2. Pavel POC (S&D/Czechia)
  3. Ivo Belet (EPP/Belgium)
  4. Lynn BOYLAN (GUE/Ireland)
  5. Mark DEMESMAEKER (ECR/Belgium)
  6. Elisabetta GARDINI (ECR/Italy)
  7. John PROCTER (ECR/UK)
  8. Paul BRANNEN (S&D/UK
  9. Marco AFFRONTE (Greens/Italy)
  10. Zoltán BALCZÓ (NI/Hungary)
  11. Angélique DELAHAYE (EPP/France)
  12. Sylvie GODDYN (EFDD/France
  13. Massimo PAOLUCCI (S&D/Italy)
  14. Urszula KRUPA (ECR/Poland)
  15. Valentinas MAZURONIS (ALDE/ Lithuania)
  16. Jo LEINEN (S&D/Germany)
  17. Massimo PAOLUCCI (S&D/Italy)
  18. Claudiu Ciprian TĂNĂSESCU (S&D/Romania)