On 16 January 2007 the European Parliament will elect a new president and committee chairs will be reshuffled.
Ahead of the reshuffle, Socialist leader Schulz said: "We must not abandon this Parliament, which symbolises the integration of Europe, to those who deny all European values."
The announcement of the formation of a new far-right group, 'Identity, Tradition, Sovereignty' (ITS) has stirred controversy. The new formation may be allotted speaking time and be eligible for around €1 million funding, and may also be voted into one or two committee vice-chairman positions.
Mr Schulz said he wrote to leaders of the parliament's democratic groups, urging them to deny ITS members posts under the proportional d'Hondt system of appointment. He said: "In line with the d'Hondt system, it is possible that this group could obtain positions as vice-presidents of committee. But such positions always need a vote of approval in the committee."
Under the d'Hondt system of appointment, committee posts are distributed among the political parties proportionate to the number of elected MEPs. However, the posts are voted on by the committee members in a secret ballot.
So far, there have been no reactions from other groups, but PSE spokesperson Tony Robinson said: "We will continue to judge these groups, and that includes the Union for Europe of Nations (UEN) and the Independence and Democracy (ID) group, after the policies when they present them."
