Romanian Siegfried Mureșan on Politico’s list of 17 lawmakers to watch in EU Parliament

Romanian member of the European Parliament Siegfried Mureșan has been named among 17 lawmakers expected to shape the EU’s political agenda in the coming years, according to a new list published by Politico.eu and quoted by Digi24.

Mureșan, a member of the European People’s Party (EPP), was highlighted in the category of “dynamic duos” alongside Portuguese MEP Carla Tavares of the Socialists & Democrats. The pair are leading negotiations on the European Union’s seven-year budget for 2028–2034, worth an estimated EUR 1.8 trillion.

Politico says their work will be decisive for setting the bloc’s long-term spending priorities.

“Mureșan and Tavares have been entrusted with one of the Parliament’s most fundamental responsibilities: deciding how the EU spends its money. As co-leads in negotiations for the EU’s next seven-year budget starting in 2028, they must guide political groups toward a unified position on how to allocate — and fill — a EUR 1.8 trillion budget proposed by the Commission in mid-July. Once the Parliament’s position is agreed, a process that starts this fall, they will then have to defend it in tough negotiations with EU governments in order to secure a final deal,” says author Max Griera in the Politico article.

The list, drawn from the EU Parliament’s 720 lawmakers, identifies figures with outsized influence through leadership roles, legislative negotiations, or political maneuvering.

Other MEPs singled out include René Repasi (S&D, Germany), described as the group’s unofficial number two, Andrzej Halicki (EPP, Poland), a close ally of prime minister Donald Tusk, and Jeroen Lenaers (EPP, Netherlands), seen as the “charming whip” of his political group.

Hungarian MEP Kinga Gál, a confidante of prime minister Viktor Orbán, was cited as a driving force in the new far-right “Patriots” faction, while Italian Nicola Procaccini (ECR) was described as working to keep conservatives united. Former Belgian prime minister Sophie Wilmès (Renew) was also included for her influence on rule-of-law files.

The list also includes Fernand Kartheiser (nonattached, Luxembourg), Raquel García Hermida-van der Walle (Renew, Netherlands), Brando Benifei (S&D, Italy), Alexandra Geese (Greens, Germany), and Dirk Gotink (EPP, Netherlands).