Green-aligned MEPs affiliate with The Green Group in the European Parliament
Here's the paraphrased version of the text:
The Volt Party has teamed up with five Green faction members in the European Parliament following a Europe-wide member survey. This move was announced by German Volt-leader Damian Boeselager during a press conference alongside Green faction leaders Terry Reintke and Bas Eickhout. The Greens took a hit in the European elections, leaving them with just 56 out of 720 Members of the European Parliament.
The coalition aims to collaborate with the European People's Party (EPP) led by Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who's seeking another term. The addition of the five Volt MPs could potentially entice the EPP to involve the Greens in negotiations for the next five years, Boeselager stressed.
In the European Parliament, formal coalition agreements aren't struck, but majorities can take various forms depending on the law. Von der Leyen could rely on the Greens' votes for her re-election, with the Greens hoping to secure favorable terms for their climate policy agenda in the next five years.
In the newly elected European Parliament, Volt made an entrance with three German MPs and two Dutch members. In the previous term, the party was part of the Green/European Free Alliance faction, but only had Boeselager as their sole representative.
Following the European elections, Volt's affiliation with the Liberal Renew fraction was up for debate. Renew, comprising the FDP and French President Emmanuel Macron's party, would've had to give up the position as the third strongest force in the European Parliament to the Right-wing European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) fraction.
The final alignments of the factions in the European Parliament for the new legislative period are yet to be set in stone. The newly elected parliament will convene in Strasbourg from July 16 to 19 for its first session, with potential shifts, especially in the right-wing camp, still possible until then.
