Manfred Weber (CDU), the German group leader of the European People's Party in the European Parliament, warns of an impasse in the election of a new president of the European Commission. In an interview with the German weekly magazine “Das Parliament”, he calls on European government leaders to quickly reappoint current President Ursula von der Leyen.
The heads of government of the EU countries will hold a EU summit this weekend, and another in two weeks. The results of the European elections are held there, among other things. Conservative and right-wing parties in particular have won seats.
According to the still preliminary results, the Christian Democrats (EPP) have made slight gains in seats, the Social Democrats (S&D) have lost slightly and the Liberals (Renew) have lost significantly. Together, the three parties governing Strasbourg and Brussels still have a majority.
Regarding the possible re-election of the Commission President, Weber says it is a good democratic tradition “that the candidate of the party of the election winner is nominated”. Von der Leyen is a German EPP Christian Democrat. That is why Weber expects support from Chancellor Olaf Scholz, “also as a representative of the Social Democrats”, and from President Emmanuel Macron as a liberal.
The political center may have been weakened by the loss of seats to other parties, “but it is strong enough to keep Europe on course,” said Manfred Weber. Regarding support for Ukraine, Weber is convinced that the citizens of Europe will continue to support the current course of the European Union.
“The political center may be weakened by the losses of other parties, but it is strong enough to keep Europe on track. We will talk to all democratic forces in Europe; of course we already have contact with social democrats and liberals. We are open to discussions with iedereen who wants to work constructively for Europe. It is now up to the European Council to nominate a candidate,” Weber said.