Politics

EU Parliament: snapshot of the Chamber. MEPs: 40% are women, youngest is Peter-Hansen from Denmark, oldest Mr Berlusconi

(Strasbourg) The ninth legislature of the European Parliament was officially constituted today at 10am, when 748 MEPs took their seats in the EP Chamber (the seats of 3 Catalan MEPs remained empty, since Spain did not accredit them). The atmosphere was like a first day of school, with selfies posted on social media by MEPs: for 61% of them, it was their first time in Parliament, while the others exchanged hugs and kisses with those colleagues that they last saw in May. It is an unprecedented radical renewal. Never before has the European Parliament welcomed so many women. Indeed, 40% of MEPs elected are women (compared to 36.6% in the previous legislature). Among the seven political groups formed so far, the most “female” group is the Greens (52.7% of women), followed by Renew Europe with 46.3% women MEPs, GUE with 44.0%, and the Socialists and Democrats with 41.8%. Identity and Democracy has 39.7% of women. The two groups with the lowest number of women are the EPP (only 33.5%), and the ECR Conservatives (32.3%). The percentage of women MEPs in the “Non-Inscrits” Group is 30.9%. The youngest MEP elected is a woman, Kira Marie Peter-Hansen (pictured), a Danish Socialist in the Green Group. The Danish press reports that she has decided to suspend her business studies in Copenhagen to devote herself fully to her European duties. The oldest MEP is Silvio Berlusconi, born in 1936. The legislature opens with 7 political groups, one less than in the previous term, and 51 groups elected outside of each group (like the Italian 5 Star Movement). 219 national political parties are represented.