Why are we writing about this?
The final meeting of the EKR unit was held on Wednesday, when the committee’s presidium was elected. 17.30 in Brussels. The morning meeting originally scheduled for 11 a.m. was postponed due to the boycott of the Polish delegation. As the PAP discovered, PiS MEPs were supposed to attend the meeting, but due to political friction between them and the Italians, negotiations could not take place. Poles would demand, among other things, the expansion of the party to include MEPs from Hungarian Fidesz and the French National Rally.
Treaty between the Poles and the Italians. Behind the scenes
In the end, the afternoon meeting did not take place, but the Poles and Italians managed to reach a preliminary agreement regarding the main positions of the division. The Polish representatives are second only to the Italian brothers as one of the two co-chairs in the group. There will be no major change here, because previously a Pole and an Italian sat together on the presidium of the party. According to preliminary arrangements, PiS is also set to take over the positions of secretary general and co-treasurer of the committee. Previously, they were occupied by the Poles.
Agreement between PiS and the Italian brothers. What did they find?
In this situation, there is no room for the talk of expanding the party. According to the PAP’s interlocutors, the idea of adding National Rally MEPs to the faction should be rejected, as they could either join the Identity and Democracy Group or start talks on establishing a new right-wing faction in the European Parliament. There is now no talk about the possibility of Fidesz joining the EKR, which means – sources indicate – Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s some form of cooperation with MEPs has been rejected or the idea will not come back, e.g. the summit, to be held in Brussels on Thursday and Friday.
According to Italian sources in the PAP, from the beginning PiS was not so much about expanding the group, but about winning the best positions. Poles were encouraged to engage in negotiations with Maloney being sidelined in talks on key EU positions. – The Polish delegation decided that something could be gained from Maloney’s defeat. It’s like dancing on his grave, the PAP asked Italians in the European Parliament.
There is speculation in Brussels that PiS may want to win seats in the EP itself. On behalf of PiS, talks with the Italian delegation are being led by Adam Bhelan, but are also in Brussels. Former Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki is scheduled to meet PiS politicians for dinner on Wednesday evening. Morawiecki may also meet with Meloney on Thursday.
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