Johan Van Overtveldt re-elected as chairman of European Parliament's budget committee
Johan Van Overtveldt was re-elected chairman of the European Parliament's budget committee on Tuesday. He was elected by a large majority (32 in favour, 1 against, 7 abstentions) for a period of 2.5 years.
The 68-year-old conservative member of the N-VA also chaired the committee during the last legislature. Van Overtveldt was put forward as a candidate by his European group, the conservative-nationalist ECR. His Czech colleague Veronika Vrecionová was elected chairwoman of the agriculture committee.
Cordon sanitaire
During the vote on the leadership of the various parliamentary committees, the pro-European groups imposed a cordon sanitaire against the far right. The cordon is aimed at the far-right Patriots for Europe, which includes the French RN, the Hungarian Fidesz and Vlaams Belang, the third largest group in the hemisphere.
On Tuesday morning, for example, the Christian Democrat and conservative EPP presented the Greek Elissavet Vozemberg-Vrionidi as a counter-candidate to the Austrian far-right candidate Roman Haider in the transport committee. Vozemberg-Vrionidi was elected by 33 votes to 13.
Haider later denounced the blocking as "bad behaviour that seriously damages democracy in Europe".
#FlandersNewsService | © BELGA PHOTO JONAS ROOSENS
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