As Vice-President of the European Parliament, Younous Omarjee wants to protect cohesion funds

4 months ago 22

Younous Omarjee (GUE/NGL) was elected vice-president of the European Parliament on Tuesday, 16 July, a first for a racially diverse MEP from an outermost region, and he aims to bring the voice of peripheral areas to the heart of the European institutions.

Omarjee first became an MEP in 2012 but was elected to the vice-presidency of the European Parliament in the second round of voting, with 311 votes out of 609 cast.

Originally from Réunion Island, he is an important figure on the French left within the European institutions and has supported Jean-Luc Mélenchon, the leader of France Insoumise (LFI), since the early 2010s.

In an interview with Euractiv, the MEP confirms that his “political positions are totally different from those of Ursula von der Leyen”, but that he is ready to “work with her to defend the interests of France and European citizens”.

Omarjee, who chaired the Committee on Regional Development during the last term of office, stresses that he has already obtained commitments from the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, who was re-elected for a second term on 18 July with 401 votes out of 720.

“I pushed for years for the creation of a Pact for the Oceans, and Ursula von der Leyen has assured me this will be implemented during the new term. She is due to announce the content of this plan shortly”.

At a time when nationalist parties are more present than ever in the European Parliament, Omarjee is also making the defence of cohesion funds one of his priorities when there is a strong temptation to reduce the budget allocated to the Union’s most disadvantaged regions at the risk of “making European policies less coherent”.

Cohesion policy accounts for a third of the EU budget, with €351.8 billion allocated between 2014 and 2020 and €337.8 billion between 2021 and 2027.

“The aim of cohesion policy is to make up for distortions in the Union’s development and to reduce the territorial divide within member countries”, continues Omarjee.

“Europe must maintain this solidarity, even if the procedures for allocating and monitoring these funds need to be simplified. Brussels controls too much, monitors too much and punishes too much.”

The election of Omarjee marks France’s return to the vice-presidency of the European Parliament following the departure of Sylvie Guillaume (PS/SD) in 2019.

It is also the first time that an MP from the French overseas departments and territories has been appointed vice-president, which is “an immense source of pride for the citizens of these regions”.

[Edited by Alice Taylor]