Ghosts, hard-workers and side-changers: here are the candidates for a new term at the European Parliament

Most of Italian MEPs will try to get a new term in Strasbourg. They were included in their parties’ lists again – some for their competence and industriousness, some because they’re strategic side-changers, others for no clear reason apart their significant electoral support (attractive for every party)

FORZA ITALIA – Record of confirmations for Forza Italia, re-listing each of its current MEPs, starting from Raffaele Baldassare, faithful to Berlusconi, President of the FI Group and Vice-Chair of the Committee of Legal Affairs. Notwithstanding his participation rate, 78 percent of the voting sessions (and his argument with a Dutch journalist), he was quite active in the parliamentary life: he was the Rapporteur for 5 acts (88^th out of 766 MEPs) in the VoteWatch ranking, and proposed 77 amendments. Elisabetta Gardini gets the first place with a 90.42 percent of presence to voting sessions, 2 resolutions written, 102 amendments presented and even 372 interventions during the plenary sessions (a bit long-winded, maybe). Both the Chair of the Industry Committee, Amalia Sartori, and the ever-present Sergio Paolo Silvestris (7^th in the ranking for presences, over 98 percent, 1 report written and 93 amendments), the Sicilian Salvatore Iacolino (Rapporteur for 7 resolutions, together with Rita Borsellino and Sonia Alfano – both of them are not listed, the first due to a personal choice, the latter because she didn’t find a place in any list) who was amongst the promoters of the creation of a Special Committee for contrasting Organized Crime. Then, the unavoidable Barbara Matera, VoteWatch gold medal as most active MEP: she is in fact rapporteur of 54 acts. A champion – on paper: out of 54 reports, 53 are duplicates on the Globalization Fund. A ‘technical’ work which required no efforts at all. Aldo Patriciello is not a champion – even on paper – only 55 percent of presences and 1 report on space strategy. You know, the space is so big the activity took him all his time. Another confirmation comes with Iva Zanicchi, more for singing than for political merits. Her presence percentage isn’t bad (89 percent), but her legislative production is a single minor report and 10 amendments. For sure she has the most bizarre CV of the entire European Parliament, in which she cites, along the above mentioned singing prizes, the merit of being “the first-ever singer to sing in the URSS (1981)” and “the author of ‘Polenta di Castagne’ [Chestnut Flour]’”. In Forza Italia we register the presence of the everlasting Clemente Mastella: in Ceppaloni and neighbouring areas he will for sure get his “forever faithful” electorate, yet in Strasbourg he’s kind of a ghost: 55 percent of presence rate, no reports, but 358 interventions.

NUOVO CENTRODESTRA – Even the Nuovo Centrodestra is to re-list all of its MEPs, apart from Vito Bonsignore. Starting from Giovanni La Vita, head of the group, and leader of crucial negotiations such as the ones on the Multi-annual Financial Framework and the Agricultural Policy. Then the Vice-President of the EP, Roberta Angelilli, the head of the Committee on Petitions, Erminia Mazzoni, and the two “Alfredos”, Pallone and Antoniozzi, who did not emerge for their commitment – the latter scored a 57 percentage rate for voting sessions, no report presented and only 2 amendments presented in five years. At least it was impossible for him to get tired – we are sure he’s ready and fully-energetic for his new term.

FRATELLI D’ITALIA – Another centre-right party, Fratelli D’Italia, re-listed its MEPs, Carlo Fidanza and Marco Scurria, with the addition of another ‘Ghost of Strasbourg’, the faithful (religiously speaking…let’s put aside his ‘mutating’ political beliefs) Magdi Cristiano Allam, present at 77 percent of the voting sessions, who produced 2 amendments and 11 interventions in 5 years.

LEGA NORD – In the Nothern League lists no sign of the former member Morganti, of the ‘senior’ Francesco Speroni, nor of Fiorello Provera. All the others were listed again: the head of the lists in each district, Matteo Salvini, with a discrete presence rate (77 percent) and only 1 report presented – yet, promoter of 108 amendments. The other ‘unavoidable’, Borghezio, famous in Strasbourg more for his “outlandish” speeches in favour of the cameras, than for his legislative activity. Yet, the party got him into the Centre Electoral district, where he’s not so sure to get the votes he need.

PARTITO DEMOCRATICO – The Democratic Party confirmed the majority of the outgoing MEPs (17 out of 22), starting from the powerful vicar Vice-President Gianni Pittella, for whom the PD breached the rule of the maximum amount of terms allowed (2). Not in the list those who left for other positions (Deborah Serracchiani and Rosario Crocetta, Governors of two Italian Regions, and Francesca Balzani, Council Member in Milan), Rita Borsellino, who decided to dedicate herself to her foundation, Guido Milana, Antonio Panzieri and two ‘seniors’, Vittorio Prodi and Luigi Berlinguer. In the list, the current head of the group David Sassoli, who, notwithstanding his delicate position, has a low score for presences (75 percent) and created only 1 report on airport services; the Head of the Agricultural Committee (rumoured to be part of the next Commission), Paolo de Castro, the former mayor of Florence, Leonardo Domenici (3 reports, 51 amendments and 92 percent of presences), Roberto Gualtieri, one of the most actives in the group, leading delicate negotiations, and the Neapolitan Andrea Cozzolino, bottom of the league dealing with his presence (67 percent of the presences), 2 reports and 55 amendments. The DP will list also the former IDV (Italia dei Valori, led by Di Pietro) and hyper-animalist Andrea Zanoni (very smart in re-collocating himself some months ago, when it was clear the IDV had no longer a political future) and Pino Arlacchi, former IDV who moved to the PD back into 2010, in open fight with Antonio di Pietro.

ITALIA DEI VALORI (ED EX) – Italia dei valori got in its lists Giommaria Uggias, the only one of the 5 MEPs elected in 2009 to have kept his position into the party. Niccolò Rinaldi left the IDV, remaining into the ALDE group, and was amongst the promoters of the list “Scelta Europea” (European Choice), supporting Guy Verhofstadt. Sonia Alfano tried to enter both the Five Stars Movement and the Democratic Party, but didn’t get any place, notwithstanding her ‘prestigious’ name and her role as head of the Extraordinary Committee against Organized Crime. Neither Vincenzo Iovine got into any list, elected with the IDV and then moved to the Rutelli’s party API and then to the Democratic Party and then to the Tabacci’s Centro Democratico. He didn’t emerge for his presence (75 percent rate) nor for his activity, no reports presented: perhaps he was to busy changing sides day after day.

For further information:
– VoteWatch website, with the statistics on each MEP
Explore the lists of the candidates of the parties:
– Forza Italia
– Nuovo Centro Destra
– Fratelli d’Italia
– Lega Nord
– Partito Democratico
– Italia dei Valori
– Scelta europea
– L’Altra europa con Tsipras
– Movimento 5 Stelle
– Green Italia