Renew Europe chief Stéphane Séjourné’s departure has triggered an internal quest to pick a new president for the EU Parliament’s liberals, with a meeting of the group leaders scheduled on Wednesday to agree on a course to follow for the internal electioneering.
French President Emmanuel Macron appointed on 11 January Stéphane Séjourné his brand new Foreign Minister, triggering a race for the presidency of the European Parliament’s liberal group barely six months before the EU elections.
The group, which will decide further steps on the next president’s election during a meeting on Wednesday, now has two options: either Renew’s lawmakers unlatch the internal electoral battlefield, or they find consensus to support current Dutch interim President Malik Azmani.
Azamni represents the ALDE faction of Renew, which lost the leadership of the group when French President Emmanuel Macron’s close ally, Stéphane Séjourné, took over in the autumn of 2021, unopposed, following Romania’s Dacian Ciolos’ resignation.
Euractiv was informed that ALDE lawmakers met for dinner on Tuesday evening to discuss strategy.
“I see it as logical for Malik Azmani, as the current first vice-president of Renew Europe, to take over the leadership of the group,” Czechia’s ANO MEP Ondřej Kovařík told Euractiv, a view shared by some Renew lawmakers and staffers which, speaking in condition of anonymity, described him as the candidate of “continuity”.
Others have expressed concerns over Azmani’s VVD party links with the far-right.
VVD is currently in talks with Geert Wilders’ far-right PVV to form a government, and if the Dutch liberals ultimately support a government with Wilders as Prime Minister, Azmani’s credibility would be at stake, as the liberals’ election campaign will be built against the threat of a far-right wave in Europe.
“I find it extremely problematic if our group is to be led by somebody whose party is in coalition negotiations with the far-right in the Netherlands. What does that do for the credibility of our group as a liberal group promoting liberal values, denouncing extremism?” Dutch MEP Sophie In’t Veld told Euractiv.
Asked about VVD’s talks with the far-right, Azmani told the press: “I am a European politician, I do not change the course of my group, I don’t see cooperation with extreme right here in Europe because they want to weaken Europe, not to strengthen Europe.”
Convincing Renew lawmakers that VVD’s talks with the far-right should not be an issue for his candidacy is not the only hiccup in Azmani’s road to the presidency, as he may still face resistance from Macron’s Renaissance and the rest of the French delegation, which could be eager to maintain control of Renew to push forward France’s interests in the European Parliament.
At a time when the far-right is surging across Europe, especially in France with Marine Le Pen’s Rassemblement National, Macron needs to “keep Renew Europe as close as possible to his position,” European Policy Centre analyst Eric Maurice told Euractiv, “, especially on economic, industrial policy, strategic autonomy, defence and security, and any other topics which at at the core of French foreign politics.”
In the meantime, Macron has recently executed a profound reshuffle of his governments, which, according to Maurice, is a way to prepare for the EU elections to compete at the national and EU levels.
*Aneta Zachová and Eleonora Vasques contributed to the reporting.
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