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Before the EU elections: EPP chief warns Scholz of damage to democracy

by AI | 03.Jun 2024 | Europe in brief AI

After the 2019 European elections, Social Democrats and Liberals in the European Parliament would not have supported Weber as the election winner. According to Weber, this led to damage to European democracy.

Manfred Weber from Germany, chairman of the European People's Party faction, urges Chancellor Olaf Scholz to support EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in the event of an EPP victory. Photo: Jean-Francois Badias/AP/dpa

Berlin – The EPP leader Manfred Weber (CSU) has urged the German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) to support the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in the event of his party winning the European elections. The election winner has the right to propose the Commission President, emphasized the chairman of the European People’s Party (EPP) in an interview with the “Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung.” “The EPP has nominated Ursula von der Leyen as a candidate for the position of Commission President, and if we win the election, we expect that to be accepted as well.”

After the 2019 European elections, Social Democrats and Liberals in the European Parliament did not support him as the election winner. “And the result was damage to European democracy. We must not repeat that,” emphasized Weber and demanded: “There must be clarity from Social Democrats and Liberals that Europe’s democratic vote will be respected.”

Scholz had recently made another term for von der Leyen conditional on the next EU Commission not being dependent on the “support of right-wing extremists.” In April, von der Leyen had not ruled out cooperation with the right-wing conservative ECR group, which includes the party of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, the ultra-right Fratelli d’Italia. She had worked very well with Meloni on the European Council, the CDU politician later said. Scholz, on the other hand, emphasized: “It will only be possible to establish a Commission presidency that relies on the traditional parties. (…) Anything else would be a mistake for the future of Europe.”

Weber defended von der Leyen’s position and attested Meloni “constructive work on the European government level.” Weber, on the other hand, expressed opposition to cooperation with French right-wing nationalist Marine Le Pen. She had been “fattened up by Putin.” “There is no cooperation with a party that is on Putin’s payroll, and not with Orbán or PiS in Poland either, who question the rule of law,” Weber emphasized. (June 1)