Finnish MEPs are loyal to their European political groups

According to the Swedish-language daily Hufvudstadsbladet (HBL), the Finnish Members of the European Parliament are more loyal to their European political groupings than they are to Finland.
      HBL tracked the performance of MEPs by comparing in how many cases the MEPs of the same country voted in the same way and how loyally the MEPs followed the line of their European political group.
     
In the European Parliament, MEPs are not organised in national groups, but they belong to various EU-wide political groupings according to their political views.
      According to the study, the Finnish MEPs are loyal to their political groups, particularly on agricultural issues.
     
Only in two cases have the Finnish MEPs voted in a different way from their political groups in issues relating to agriculture.
      ”The fact came as a surprise to me. We meet with the Minister of Agriculture on a regular basis and in my opinion we have a uniform national approach to all agricultural issues”, said MEP Carl Haglund (Swedish People’s Party) to Hufvudstadsbladet.
      Haglund belongs to the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE), which is the third-largest political grouping in the European Parliament, with 85 seats out of the total of 753.
     
Among the other 12 Finnish MEPs, the two Green representatives belong to the Greens/European Free Alliance grouping, the three National Coalition Party MEPs belong to the Group of the European People's Party (EPP), together with the one Christian Democrat representing Finland.
      The EPP is the largest grouping in the Parliament, with 272 MEPs.
      The two Social Democrats are in the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (the second-largest group, with 190 seats), the three Centre Party members join Haglund in the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe, and the one member of the Finns Party (formerly the True Finns) belongs to the Europe of Freedom and Democracy Group.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Differences emerging among new crop of Finnish MEPs (6.4.2010)
  Good MEPs expected to form networks and have social skills (1.6.2009)
  Brussels tough guy - and proud of it (5.10.2010)

See also:
  Finnish MEPs clash over Northern Dimension (9.3.2005)

Links:
  European Parliament
  Finland´s 13 MEPS in Strasbourg (eight of them are women)