Fratelli d’Italia and PiS
Von der Leyen ready to cooperate with the ultra-right
April 30, 2024, 1:52 a.m
Ursula von der Leyen wants to remain President of the EU Commission. In order to secure a second term in office, the CDU politician said she would also work with right-wing parties such as the Italian Fratelli d’Italia or the Polish PiS.
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen does not rule out cooperation with the right-wing conservative group of European Conservatives and Reformers (ECR) for a possible second term in office. “It depends very much on how the parliament is composed and who sits in which group,” she said at a first meeting of top representatives of the major European party families before the European elections in June.
Many of the parties united in the EKR are critical of the EU. The ECR faction includes, among others, the ultra-right Fratelli d’Italia of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. This also includes the national conservative Polish ruling party PiS and the former AfD MP Lars Patrick Berg from Germany. Von der Leyen clearly ruled out collaboration with the Identity and Democracy faction, which also includes the AfD and Marine LePen’s French Rassemblement National, at the debate organized by the “Politico” portal in Maastricht.
A shift to the right in EU politics is possible
A connection between the EKR and von der Leyen’s European People’s Party (EPP) could mean a significant shift to the right in EU politics, writes “Politico”. This could concern issues such as migration, climate legislation, women’s rights and defense. Such cooperation could also be tricky because von der Leyen will probably also have to rely on votes from the Social Democratic camp for her re-election as Commission President.
If the former German defense minister wants to be at the head of the Brussels authority again, she must be confirmed by the EU Parliament after the European elections in the summer. Although it is initially the task of the heads of state and government to make a proposal for the President of the Commission, Parliament can reject this. The EU Commission has the sole right to propose concrete EU legal acts, which are then negotiated by Parliament and the EU states.
During the debate, von der Leyen also defended her climate policy. “The European Green Deal is the solution for the competitiveness of the European economy,” she said. If you want to reduce energy prices, you have to invest in renewable energies. Von der Leyen presented the Green Deal in 2019, with which the EU sets itself the goal of becoming climate neutral by 2050.