How can you choose a candidate?
In a democracy, it is our right to choose a candidate of our own liking. While you may not always find a candidate that agrees with you on every single issue, it is important that you trust the candidate. While it is ultimately the candidate that will determine how he/she votes, the party groups that they belong to remain very important. It is through the party groups that an individual MEP can have influence in the daily work of the Parliament.
These are the party groups:
European People's Party (Christian Democrats) 35,77 % of the vote in the last election
http://www.epp.eu/This is a centre-right group consisting of German Christian Democrats and other conservative parties in Europe. It has a track record of being relatively friendly to Israel. This does not mean that all members automatically share this view but generally speaking, this is the case.
S&D Group of Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (Social Democrats) 25,46 %
http://pes.eu/The Social Democrats have, generally speaking, been critical of the policies of the current Israeli Government. This is not to imply that they are anti-Semitic, which is the case for the new extremist parties, but the group as a whole is clearly critical of the Israeli Government.The exceptions are made up from the post-Communist countries (new EU member states) where support for Israel seems to be irrespective of political affiliation.
ALDEAlliance of Liberals and Democrats10,96 %
http://www.aldeparty.eu/enThe Liberal group is a mixed group where you will find some of the strongest supporters of Israel as well as many of their fiercest critics. Check with your candidate beforehand where he/she stands on issues important to Israel.
ECREuropean Conservatives and Reformists5,57 %
http://www.aecr.eu/This group, consisting of among others, the British Tories, is perhaps one of the most Israel-friendly groups in the Parliament. It is a group which is critical of more EU integration.
GUE/NGLEuropean United Left/Nordic Green Left4,57 %
http://european-left.org/The extreme left has been one of the fiercest critics of Israel. Although the left has, generally speaking, been very anti-Israel, it should not be equated with the open anti-Semitism that you will find in some of the new populist parties.
EFDEuropean Freedom and Democracy group4,05 %
http://www.efdgroup.eu/This group is a mixed group which is united by its opposition to more EU integration and support for national sovereignty. Though some of the parties are critical of immigration, most of them are friends of Israel. The leader of the European Parliament delegation to the Knesset, Bas Belder from Netherlands, belongs to this group.
Non-attached members
4,18 %
On the extreme right, you will find most of the so called non-attached members, some are open neo-fascist parties like the British National Party in the UK, Golden Dawn in Greece and Jobbik in Hungary. Many are also concerned about the rise of the National Front in France. It is still unclear how these parties will organise themselves in the new European Parliament.
Disclaimer
ECI is not a political organisation. We are not linked to any particular political party or movement, but we want to work together with all those who support Israel. This does not mean that we agree with all their other policies. In presenting the political groupings in the European Parliament, we have focussed solely on their attitude towards Israel and the Jewish people.
Appendix: Questionnaire to candidates for the European Parliament
1 Should male circumcision and kosher slaughter be allowed or banned in Europe?
2 Is the EU doing enough to ensure that Iran does not get a nuclear bomb?
3 What is your position on the recent EU guidelines (December 2013) which prohibit EU funding of Israeli entities active in the disputed territories?
4 Should Jerusalem be divided under a final peace agreement or remain the united capital of Israel?
5 Should EU aid to the PA be made conditional on economic performance and human rights record or should it continue as in the past?
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