Center Party not hurrying on EU parliament group membership decision
The Center Party (Keskerakond) may wait until some time next year before deciding which political grouping to join at the European Parliament, party leader Mihhail Kõlvart has said.
Center returned Jana Toom as MEP after the June European elections, but the defection of Jaak Madison from EKRE to Center doubled the latter's representation in Strasbourg.
Madison also left the now-defunct, far-right Identity and Democracy (ID) group and joined the soft eurosceptic European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group.
In the previous European Parliament compositions, Toom had sat with the Renew Europe/ALDE group, a grouping which Reform MEPs are also aligned with.
Kõlvart, who ran in the election and polled highest of all the Center candidates but is remaining in Estonia and has given his seat to Toom, told ERR: "This is not an issue that needs immediate resolution. There is no rush; it is not obligatory."
"We are taking our time to calmly review the options and, of course, meet with different European political families," Kõlvart went on.
Once the party has reviewed its options it will propose which group to sit with, subject to a presentation to the party's board and, ultimately, a decision at a party congress, Kõlvart added.
In September, the Center Party's council decided to leave Renew Europe/ALDE group in the European Parliament, sparking debate over whether Center would instead sit with ECR.
Not only Toom but also outgoing European Commissioner Kadri Simson opposed this move, with the latter saying she would leave the party if it joined ECR.
Asked whether internal opposition had led the party to more seriously consider alternatives to ECR, Kõlvart responded: "We did not have a concrete plan. We had a very clear understanding that we could no longer cooperate with ALDE. But now, we are in no rush to make a new choice."
"There is no need for that. As of today, I would not rule out any reasonable options, but the direction we take will depend on the party's decision, and we want to discuss it broadly," the Center leader continued.
According to Kõlvart, the party could reach a decision sometime next year. "According to party bylaws, joining international organizations requires a congress decision. The board may make a decision earlier, but the congress's decision will come later. However, there is no urgency in this matter," Kõlvart reiterated.
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Editor: Andrew Whyte
