IRI welcomed the leadership of the European People’s Party (EPP) parliamentary group to its Washington headquarters last month during the group’s working visit to the United States. EPP Chairman Joseph Daul, a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from France, led the delegation of EPP vice chairs to Washington and New York to strengthen ties between the European Parliament and its American counterparts.
The visit to IRI highlighted the strong partnership the Institute has developed with the EPP over the past five years through its European Partnership Initiative. IRI has worked to engage European and American decision-makers in a transatlantic dialogue on key areas of mutual interest, such as democracy assistance, through a host of events in Washington, Brussels, and elsewhere in Europe. The EPP and its member parties have served as partners in IRI’s work both in the region and around the world.
At IRI, the delegation met with IRI President Lorne Craner and Vice President for Programs Tom Garrett to discuss trends in the European and American political landscape, including the results of recent European elections. The EPP leadership also had meetings with Members of Congress, senior members of the administration, and key public and private sector leaders. MEPs met with Senator Bob Bennett (R-UT), Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano and United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
The EPP Group Delegation included Elmar Brok (MEP, Germany), Chairman of the European Parliament’s Delegation for Relations with the United States, Chairman Joseph Daul (MEP, France), Vice-Chairpersons Othmar Karas (MEP, Austria), Ioannis Kasoulides (MEP, Cyprus), Marian-Jean Marinescu (MEP, Romania), József Szájer (MEP, Hungary), Manfred Weber (MEP, Germany), and Corien Wortmann-Kool (MEP, Netherlands).
Top