Brussels, 23 July 2024
MEP Barry Andrews (Renew Europe, Ireland) will serve as the Chair of the European Parliament’s Development Committee for the next two and a half years.
Following his election by committee members by acclamation on Tuesday, Mr Andrews said:
“It is a huge honour for me today to have been elected as Chair of the Development Committee. Throughout my career, I have been a steadfast advocate for sustainable development, human rights, and economic growth. These values are at the core of my legislative work and public advocacy. I am passionate about addressing global inequalities and ensuring that development efforts are inclusive and sustainable.
I very much look forward to getting to work as chair of this committee and I want to thank my colleagues from across all groups for trusting me with this position.”
MEPs also elected:
- Isabella LÖVIN (Greens/EFA, Sweden) as the Committee’s First Vice-Chair, by acclamation
- Hildegard BENTELE (EPP, Germany) as Second Vice-Chair, by acclamation
- Abir AL-SAHLANI (Sweden, Renew Europe) as Third Vice-Chair, by 16 votes in favour, 8 against, and 1 abstention
- and Robert BIEDROŃ (S&D, Poland) as Fourth Vice-Chair, by acclamation
Together with Mr Andrews, these Vice-Chairs form the Development Committee’s bureau.
Rules for the election
According to the Rules of Procedure of the European Parliament (Rule 219), the number of Vice-Chairs to be elected are determined by Parliament following a proposal by the Conference of Presidents. The diversity of Parliament must be reflected in the composition of the bureau of each committee. The Chair and the first Vice-Chair of a committee cannot be of the same gender. All of the bureau members cannot come from the same member state.