Cox re-elected leader of European Liberals

The Munster Independent MEP, Mr Pat Cox, was yesterday unanimously re-elected leader of the European Liberals (ELDR) at a meeting of the group here, confirming his role as one of the key figures in the new Parliament.

The group, the third-largest in the Parliament, has grown from 42 to 50 members after the elections and with its recent recruitment of seven supporters of the Commission president-designate, Mr Romano Prodi. It now hopes to challenge what Mr Cox calls the traditional "duopoly" of the Socialists and European People's Party in running the assembly.

Speaking after his re-election, Mr Cox said they had "a contract with the people for the renewal and reform of Europe. The European Parliament has now reached a new level of maturity. With the resignation of the European Commission we crossed a Rubicon of sorts and our challenge now is to sort out the politics and make judgments."

And of the ELDR role, he said: "We find ourselves with the potential to break the duopoly exercised by the Christian Democrats and Socialists for well over a decade. But our contract is with the European citizen, not with deal-making."