Liberals in the European Parliament reject support for Von der Leyen if she negotiates with populists
The liberal group in the European Parliament (EP) today rejected any negotiations between the next president of the European Commission and “extremist or populist politicians”, less than two weeks before Ursula von der Leyen’s vote in the plenary Strasbourg river.
In a statement, the liberals of Renew Europe presented the priorities for the next legislature and also the ‘red lines’ to support the candidacy of the ‘spitzenkandidat’ (main candidate) of the European People’s Party (EPP).
Renew Europe rejected “any agreement on the next president of the European Commission that involves extremist or populist politicians”, also calling for the implementation of the New Pact on Migration and Asylum and the transition ecological protection, just as they were approved.
The position emerged less than two weeks before the vote by MEPs on von der Leyen’s name, during the session in Strasbourg that will take place between the 16th and 19th of July.
Ursula von der Leyen established as ‘red lines’ any political forces that are anti-European, against support for Ukraine and that have positions contrary to the rule of law.
But her opponents, namely the socialist ‘spitzenkandidat’ Nicolas Schmit, considered that the former German Defense Minister was not clear enough.
The re-elected president of Renew Europe, Frenchwoman Valérie Hayer, had already said that the liberals would not support von ver Leyen’s candidacy if there was the chance of including in the negotiations, for example, the two groups that they bring together the extreme right (which could become three).
The European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) concluded on Wednesday the integration of MEPs into the political group, which brings together part of the extreme right, increasing it to 84 members in the legislature that runs until 2029.
In a statement, the ECR stated that, once the integration process of MEPs has been completed after the elections at the beginning of June, it will start the legislature with 84 elected representatives, an increase in relation to the 62 MEPs. with which the ECR started the previous one, in 2019, and to the 69 who were part of this political family before the elections for the European Parliament (EP).
After the PPE and the Socialists and Democrats, the ECR is currently the third political group with the greatest representation in the European hemicycle, having surpassed the liberals of Renew Europe, but it is still necessary to close the accounts to give It is certain that the conservatives have more MEPs.
The European Parliament must approve the name of the Commission president by an absolute majority (half of all MEPs plus one).
If the candidate fails to obtain approval from the European Parliament, the European Council must propose a new candidate within one month.
