In today’s Group meeting, the European Conservatives and Reformists Group elected Kosma Złotowski as their candidate in the run for Presidency of the European Parliament. Speaking in the Group meeting, Mr Złotowski pointed out: “I do not pretend to have an easy chance of winning this race, but I certainly will not stand by and watch as the leadership of this institution plays its part in the disintegration of the European Union. Sometimes it is necessary to take up a challenge for a good cause, even when it seems that the odds are against us.”
“For many months now, I have observed how the European Parliament is becoming an ideological battleground and how it is desperately trying to attract public attention by attacking EU Member States’ democratically elected governments. Insults and fake news have taken the place of rational argumentation – I want to change this. The European Parliament, as the only institution elected directly by EU citizens, should be fighting for the issues that are truly important to Europeans: improving the single market, managing the migration crisis and addressing rising energy prices. These are the key issues that should be firmly back on our agenda.
“I know that across the European Parliament there is growing frustration and opposition to the direction being taken by the current Presidency. I hear it in many private conversations in the areas I work on. The election of the President is an opportunity to express opposition to putting ideology before the real problems of Europe.”
ECR Co-Chairman Prof Ryszard Legutko (Poland) commented:
“The ECR Group has its own identity and heritage in the European Parliament. We are proud of our achievements, which is why we are putting up our own candidate for the Presidency of the European Parliament. And we are honoured that our candidate is Kosma Złotowski.”
His Colleague, ECR Co-Chairman Raffaele Fitto (Italy) added:
“Kosma is to be the candidate not only of the ECR Group but of all those MEPs who want to change policies which are destructive to our European Union.”