Joseph DAUL (EPP, FR), Hannes SWOBODA (S&D, AT) and Guy VERHOFSTADT (ALDE, BE) reacts to the first European projection based on national exit polls.

Brussels

VERHOFSTADT, Guy (Renew, BE)

statement

European election

2014 European elections (T)

DAUL, Joseph (EPP, FR)

election night 2014 (T)

SWOBODA, Hannes (S&D, AT)

First European projection based on national exit polls: reactions by Joseph DAUL (EPP, FR), Hannes SWOBODA (S&D, AT) and Guy VERHOFSTADT (ALDE, BE)

SOUNDBITE (French), Joseph DAUL (EPP, FR), President of the EPP Group, "Before I start I would like to give my condolences to the families of the victims from yesterday's massacre at the Jewish museum in Brussels. It's an abominable act that shows us one more time what the extremists could do. And we have to continue fighting to preserve our values like tolerance, respect, freedom of speech, though and cult."

SOUNDBITE (French), Joseph DAUL (EPP, FR), President of the EPP Group, "If I see the stimation, it's always just an stimationm but tells that EPP will be leading and will propose his cantidate that is Jean-Claude Junker as President of EC."

SOUNDBITE (English), Hannes SWOBODA (S&amp;D, AT), President of the S&amp;D Group, "First of all I want to say that I'm very happy that the big disaster that was forecast that the turnout will go down automatically did not came true."

SOUNDBITE (English), Hannes SWOBODA (S&amp;D, AT), President of the S&amp;D Group, "Yes, it was a step forward but final we should put a step forward that it was not enough courages that we should have for the election of the president of the Commission to give the voters a chance to say clearly: I'm for this gentlemen or for this lady to be the president of the EC."

SOUNDBITE (English), Hannes SWOBODA (S&amp;D, AT), President of the S&amp;D Group, "Our figures shows that we on several seats in several countries but in anyway. It's clear we have a stronger position the S&amp;D in the next parliament vis &aacute; vis the strongest group if that is that would be the EPP. And we will use the possibility. It must be very clear that if Mr Junker wants to be Commission President again and again I heard that that he does not want to be. But if he wants to be he has to accept our basics wishes to change policies in Europe. Changing the austerity, much more for jobs, and of course also in communication with our citizens and the European Institutions."

SOUNDBITE (English), Hannes SWOBODA (S&amp;D, AT), President of the S&amp;D Group, <p>"There is no coalition, we will not go into a coalition with anybody but we will have a rather free possibility to look for majorities. But let me also clear: the Commission President and also legislative acts has to have a strong majority. We have to be responsible but again it depends on the content because we want to make changes in Europe, because the message form the voters has been changed and we cannot accept a Commission President who is not ready for change."</p>

SOUNDBITE (English), Guy VERHOFSTADT (ALDE, BE), President of the ALDE Group, "Today as this day should be a positive day for democracy and for tolerance and eventually what happened yesterday in Brussels was quite the opposite a dramatic example for intolerance in our country and in Europe."

SOUNDBITE (English), Guy VERHOFSTADT (ALDE, BE), President of the ALDE Group, "For the first time in more than 30 years we see that the turnout is going up. In my opinion, this is one of the consequences of the way we have handled this European election, the fact that the European political parties have candidates for the presidency of the EC. And maybe I think that we could go further in that direction for the presidency of the EC in 2019."

SOUNDBITE (English), Guy VERHOFSTADT (ALDE, BE), President of the ALDE Group, "It has to be one of the candidates that present at themselves in this election that has to be nominated as the President of the Commission. It is for us unthinkable and we shall give the votes of the EP to somebody outside of the Parliament, otherwise, all the exercise we did, this all democratic exercise is just a little game."