The application of Elena Basescu (photo) to join the European People's Party (EPP) in the European Parliament (EP) is to be voted today. The EPP has 264 of the 736 mandates of the new EP (35.87% of the EP).
EPP met yesterday in Brussels in its first meeting for the 2009-2014 legislature. According to the EPP spokesperson, Antoine Ripoll, cited by Agerpres, there will be elections for the president and vice-president of the party during that meeting.Those who become members of the EP as members of parties affiliated to EPP (such as PD-L and UDMR) automatically become members of the EPP. In the case of the euro-deputies who weren't on these lists, the acceptance in the EPP is made after a vote of the other members.
This is the case of Elena Basescu, who was voted for the EP as an independent candidate on the 7th of June, and expressed her willingness to join the EPP.
Due to this possibility, at the end of last week, Hungarian euro-deputy Laszlo Surjan, a member of Fidesz (part of the EPP), sent an e-mail to the other members of the EPP regarding the situation of Elena Basescu.
Ripoll confirmed for Agerpres the fact that Surjan sent this internal e-mail, which asked the group not to agree with Elena Basescu becoming a member of the EPP because this would encourage nepotism.