The new, eighth European Parliament was constituted on Tuesday and its first decision was to choose Martin Schulz as its president for another two and half years, backing a combative social democrat who has fought for more power for the EU legislature.
German center-left politician Schulz has been elected president after centre-left group S&D made an agreement with the centre-right EPP and liberal-centrist ALDE groups. Schulz has also served as European Parliament president from 2012 until earlier this year. Of 612 valid votes cast in the parliament’s seat in Strasbourg, 409 were for Schulz.
The new European Parliament will have 751 deputies of whom 11 are from Croatia – Andrej Plenkovic, Dubravka Suica, Ivana Maletic and Davor Stier of the Croatian Democratic Union will join the European People’s Party (EPP) group, Tonino Picula and Biljana Borzan of the Social Democratic Party will join the centre-left group S&D, Jozo Rados of the Croatian People’s Party (HNS) and Ivan Jakovcic of the Istrian Democratic Party (IDS) will join the liberal-centrist ALDE group, Mirjana Petir of the Croatian Peasant Party (HSS) will also join the EPP group, Davor Skrlec of the Sustainable Development (ORaH) will join the Greens/European Free Alliance (Greens/EFA), while Ruza Tomasic of the Croatian Party of Rights Ante Starcevic (HSP AS) will join the European Conservatives and Reformists Group (ECR).