The coalition between Popular and Socialist parties bypasses regulations to exclude VOX and its group (Patriots) from key positions in the European Parliament

The European Parliament has begun its new term with a clear strategy to exclude the political group Patriots for Europe, which includes VOX, Hungary’s Fidesz, and National Rally (France), among others, from key positions in parliamentary committees. Patriots is the third-largest group in the Parliament, with 86 MEPs representing over 18 million voters.

VOX MEP Margarita de la Pisa highlighted how the Parliament’s own rules, which guarantee the plural representation of all groups in committee leaderships, have been violated. “The regulations are clear, and they require groups to be represented in the presidencies and vice-presidencies of the committees. However, the left, with the support of the EPP, has decided to ignore these rules to exclude us,” she stated.

This exclusion has been particularly evident in the case of the Women’s Committee, where Margarita de la Pisa was proposed as a candidate for the fourth vice-presidency. Although she met all the requirements, her candidacy was rejected. “They are not bothered by the fact that a woman is running; they are bothered that it’s a woman from VOX, a woman who does not submit to their ideological agenda!” she explained. In July, a document was published allowing exceptions to the parity rules in five committees, solely to favor male candidates from the left and the EPP. “When the candidate is from VOX, parity suddenly doesn’t matter,” said the MEP.

The marginalization of Patriots for Europe has not been limited to committees. Despite being the third-largest force in Parliament, they have been denied a spot among the 14 vice-presidents of the Parliament, while the Left has obtained representation. According to the D’Hondt system, Patriots were entitled to two presidencies and eight vice-presidencies in various committees. However, all these positions were taken away in “a flagrant violation of Parliament’s rules and the treaties of the European Union.”

The role of the European People’s Party in this exclusion strategy has been crucial. Margarita de la Pisa accused the EPP of negotiating with the left to block any access for VOX to leadership positions. “The EPP preferred to support a Polish candidate over a Spanish one for the presidency of the Agriculture Committee. They have made deals with the left to keep us out,” De la Pisa insisted.

VOX has announced that they will take the case to court: “We will defend the rights of the millions of Europeans who voted for us, and we will not allow ourselves to be excluded in an undemocratic manner.”