Poland’s Kopacz re-elected EU Parliament VP, scores second-highest

4 months ago 20

Polish MEP and ex-prime minister Ewa Kopacz of the ruling Civic Coalition (KO, EPP) was re-elected as one of the 14 vice presidents of the European Parliament, achieving the second-highest result among them.

Kopacz, who served as Polish health minister in Donald Tusk’s first government (2007-2011) and as speaker of parliament between 2011 and 2014, and was appointed prime minister when Tusk took over as president of the European Council at the end of 2014, has been an MEP since 2019 and won her second term in 2024.

On Tuesday, Kopacz was re-elected Vice-President of the European Parliament with 572 votes out of 665 valid ballots, second only to Germany’s Sabine Verheyen (CDU, EPP).

Of the 14 eligible vice-presidents of the European Parliament, 11 were elected on Tuesday.

Newly elected Confederation (Konfederacja) MEP Ewa Zajączkowska-Hernik was the only other Polish MEP to be nominated as a candidate for Vice President of the European Parliament.

However, the candidate nominated by the Europe of Sovereign Nations group, founded last week by the Alternative for Germany (AfD), did not receive enough votes to win the post.

Since joining the EU in 2004, Poland has only had one national as European Parliament President, with Jerzy Buzek (Civic Platform, EPP) leading the EU house between 2009 and 2012.

Next week, after the Parliament’s plenary session, MEPs will elect the presidents and vice-presidents of the committees.

As Euractiv Poland has unofficially learned from its sources in the Parliament, Poland is set to get the chairmanship of the Industry, Research and Energy Committee (ITRE), to be taken by new MEP Borys Budka (KO, EPP), while Adam Jarubas of the Polish People’s Party (PSL, EPP) would become head of the Subcommittee on Public Health (SANT).

(Aleksandra Krzysztoszek | Euractiv.pl)