The European Parliament’s Regional Development Committee has a new chairman

His name is Adrian-Dragoș Benea from Romania

The European Parliament’s Regional Development Committee (REGI) got together for its first constitutive session earlier today with the task of electing its new bureau, which will lead the work of the legislative body for a two-and-a-half-year mandate, that is the first half of the overall five-year term of the elected legislature. The new Chair of REGI is Adrian-Dragoș Benea, a Social Democrat from Romania, who will take over the responsibilities of Younous Omarjee (France), who served as the Chair of the committee during the entire term of the previous Parliament.

Dragoș Benea, as he’s more commonly referred to is a politician with experience in local politics in his home country having served as deputy mayor of his native city of Bacău and as President of the Bacău County Council (2004-2016). This is also his second term as a Member of the European Parliament.

Apart from Mr Dragoș Benea, the MEPs from the REGI committee also elected four vice-presidents:

• First Vice-President: Gabriella Gerzsenyi (EPP, Hungary)
• Second Vice-President: Nora Mebarek (S&D, France)
• Third Vice-President: Francesco Ventola (ECR, Italy)
• Fourth Vice-President: Ľubica Karvašová (Renew, Slovakia)

Dragoș Benea said this in his first speech after his election: "The REGI committee will face two challenges: to ensure smooth implementation of the 2021-2027 period and prepare new cohesion policy package.

We need to safeguard the key pillars of our Cohesion Policy: robust budget, shared management, multilevel governance, a place-based approach and the partnership principle. I will make sure our committee is fully involved in all stages of designing the new investment capacity."

Main responsibilities of the REGI bureau

A committee bureau (Chair and up to four Vice-chairs) is elected for a two-and-a-half-year mandate and is responsible for their respective committee’s smooth functioning. Committees deal with legislative proposals, appoint negotiating teams to conduct talks with EU ministers, adopt reports, organise hearings and scrutinise other EU bodies and institutions.

In addition to presiding over the committee and coordinator’s meetings, the Chair represents the committee both within and outside Parliament and presides over legislative negotiations led by the committee.