26.09.2015 - 12:23
The Public Diplomacy Council of Catalonia (DIPLOCAT) has invited fifteen international Members of Parliaments to be present at this Sunday’s Catalan elections. The objective is for them to be able to follow the election activities on 27 September, to speak with various actors involved and to report their observations in their respective countries.
The programme, which will start this afternoon, includes meetings with representatives of the Catalan Government (Meritxell Borràs, Minister for Governance and Institutional Relations and Roger Albinyana, Secretary for Foreign and EU Affairs), academics and spokespersons of political parties. All the political groups represented in the Catalan Parliament have been invited to join the meetings. The international Parliamentarians will also assist at the FC Barcelona football match tomorrow.
On Sunday, the Members of Parliament will divide up into groups to follow round trips to several Catalan towns and villages, where it is foreseen that they will visit around thirty polling stations. They will have lunch with mayors, will witness the closing of a polling station and will follow the counting from the Parliament of Catalonia. The 2 regional, 9 national and 4 European Members of Parliament, coming from eleven different countries, are:
Gutto ap Owain Bebb (MP UK / Conservative and Unionist Party – ECR)
Mark Demesmaeker (MEP / Flanders – Belgium / NVA – ECR)
Simon Elo (MP Finland / Perussuomalaiset PS – ECR)
Jill Evans (MEP / Wales – UK / Plaid Cymru – GreensEFA)
Bernhard “Felix” von Grünberg (RegMP Nordrhein Westfalen – Germany / SPD – S&D)
Mónica Edith Gutiérrez (MP Argentina / Frente para la Victoria)
Colm Keaveney (MP Ireland / Fianna Fáil – ALDE)
Peter Luykx (MP Belgium / N-VA – ECR)
Gérard Onesta (RegMP Midi Pyrenées – France / Europe Écologie Les Verts – GreensEFA)
Daniel Peña Fernández (MP Uruguay / Partido Nacional)
Mark Pritchard (MP UK / Conservative and Unionist Party- ECR)
Sjúrður Skaale (MP Denmark / Javnaðarflokkurin – S&D)
Alyn Smith (MEP / Scotland – UK / SNP – GreensEFA)
Bodil Valero (MEP / Sweden / Miljöpartiet de gröna – GreensEFA)
Gerald ZELINA (MP Austria / Team Stronach)
