MEP Nicola Beer, Vice President of the European Parliament, and member of the Renew Europe Group from Germany has been appointed Chair of the European Parliament Working Group Against Antisemitism (WGAS), following a meeting at the European Parliament in Brussels.
Ms. Beer replaces MEP Karoline Edtstadler, who left appointed minister for the EU and the constitution at the Austrian Federal Chancellery.
In addition, MEP Othmar Karas, Vice-President of the European Parliament and member of the Group of the European People’s Party from Austria and MEP Frédérique Ries, member of the Renew Europe Group from Belgium have been also appointed as Vice-Chairs of the working group.
They will join MEP Juan Fernando López Aguilar of the Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament and MEP Sergey Lagodinsky of the Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance as Vice-Chairs. They bureau of the Working Group to be supported by the following board members: MEP Brando Benifei MEP (S&D, Italy) MEP David Lega (EPP, Sweden) and MEP Dragoș Tudorache (Renew Europe/Romania).
At the meeting, which was attended by EJC Executive Vice-President and CEO Raya Kalenova, the WGAS bureau discussed upcoming initiatives, such as the upcoming conference on the intersection of antisemitism and sexism to coincide with International Women’s Day and the launch of the European Commission’s Gender Equality Strategy on 4 March 2020.
The Working Group Against antisemitism is a cross-party grouping, which brings together Members of the European Parliament to raise awareness and coordinate action against antisemitism at the EU level.
The European Jewish Congress acts as Secretariat and member of the Advisory Board of WGAS. where it is joined by B’nai B’rith International.
