The European Parliament’s three centrist groups are expected to retain their chairs in Strasbourg on Tuesday, Oct. 20, even as a March migration vote exposed differences within their cooperation pact.
The Socialists and Democrats (S&D) group’s agenda lists S&D President Iratxe García Pérez as set for re-election. European People’s Party (EPP) group chair Manfred Weber and Renew Europe chair Valérie Hayer are also expected to keep their posts without challengers, Agence Europe and Euronews reported. Weber has chaired the EPP group since June 2014, García has led S&D since June 2019, and Hayer has led Renew Europe since January 2024, Agence Europe reported.
On March 26, Parliament voted 389-206, with 32 abstentions, to open negotiations on the Return Regulation, which sets rules for people with no right to stay in the European Union. The vote authorized talks rather than adopting the law. Parliament later approved the agreed text June 17, and the Council of the European Union adopted it Oct. 1. The regulation was published Oct. 15 and entered into force Oct. 16; most provisions apply from Oct. 17, 2027.
The official roll call lists EPP lawmakers among those voting in favor, along with members of the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR), Patriots for Europe and Europe of Sovereign Nations. The three groups’ November 2024 cooperation statement pledged to work together throughout the parliamentary term, including on migration and the Green Deal.
García has since called for a new political agreement among pro-European groups, which Agence Europe said includes Greens/EFA in addition to the three groups. In her interview with Agence Europe, she said a new deal should be “credible and negotiated transparently.”
Agence Europe reported, citing an unnamed source, that the EPP is unlikely to make concessions before Spain’s Nov. 29 election. The S&D plans to elect vice presidents on Oct. 21. Agence Europe expects a broader renewal of Parliament’s institutional leadership to begin in late January 2027.
