The EPP Group will be the first to get to work in the new term of the European Parliament after winning the European elections for the fourth consecutive time since 1999 on 25 May.

With 222 MEPs expected to be confirmed tomorrow, Wednesday, during the Group’s constitutive meeting, the EPP Group will maintain its leading position in the new European Parliament with 33 MEPs more than the runners-up.

The EPP Group will also elect its new leader tomorrow who will replace Joseph Daul MEP, who is leaving the European Parliament after 15 years, 7 and a half years of which he was Chairman of the Group. German CSU MEP, Manfred Weber, Vice-Chairman of the EPP Group since 2004, is the only candidate running to succeed Joseph Daul. He will need the majority of the votes cast to be elected at the first round.

Born in 1972 in Wildenberg (Bavaria), he has a degree in physical technology and worked as an engineer before taking his first steps into politics as a member of the CSU Junge Union in 1989. He has been a member of the Bureau of its party since 2002. Prior to becoming an MEP in 2004, he was a member of the Bavarian Land Parliament.

On Wednesday afternoon, the EPP Group will also vote on the 10 Vice-Chairs which also compose the Presidency of the Group. For the first time, the EPP Group will apply the new rules adopted in October 2013 which stipulate that the vote can only be held if at least one third of the candidates are of another gender than the majority of candidates.

The new rules also assure that the overall representation of members holding posts within the Group are composed of at least one third of members of another gender than the majority of members. Currently, sixteen MEPs have submitted their candidacies, 8 men and 8 women.