European Parliament paves way for new commission with five-year cooperation pact

The European Parliament has cleared the way for the European Commission to begin its term on December 1, following an agreement among three key political groups: the centre-right European People’s Party (EPP), the Socialists and Democrats (S&D), and the liberal Renew Europe. 

The pact commits the groups to working together over the next five years, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

With the Commission’s green light secured, the EPP now has the flexibility to collaborate with both left and right factions in the Parliament to form majorities, ensuring it keeps right-wing members aligned on critical votes.

The agreement, introduced by Renew Europe, was designed to resolve the stalemate and ease tensions between the S&D and the EPP. As part of the deal, the S&D and Renew agreed to support Italy’s far-right commissioner nominee, Raffaele Fitto, despite initial resistance from the socialists. In return, they sought assurances that the EPP would prioritise cooperation within the centrist mainstream rather than seeking alliances with right-wing groups.

However, the final agreement stops short of making such a commitment, offering no substantial shift in the dynamic between the three groups. Instead, the declaration centres on broad objectives for the next five years, inspired by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s June investiture speech.

The document states that the three groups “agree to cooperate,” and “reaffirm” their “pledge to work together with a constructive approach.”

While there are no formal coalitions in the European Parliament—since the Commission does not rely on majority support to remain in power—the centrist groups have historically played a stabilising role.

They have often joined forces to pass legislation, although majorities are typically negotiated on a case-by-case basis depending on the issue.

By Aghakazim Guliyev