Socialists clash with EPP as von der Leyen leaves door open to cooperation with hard right

The two clashed at the Maastricht Debate, co-organised by Politico Europe and Studio Europe Maastricht, one of two debates between parties' Spitzenkandidaten, with the next one scheduled for 23 May in the European Parliament, organised by the European Broadcasting Union.

Von der Leyen left the door open to collaborating with hard-right European Conservatives and Reformists group (ECR), the political family of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

"It depends very much on how the competition of the Parliament is and who is in what group," von der Leyen said, adding, "It's the Parliament who makes majorities," when directly asked by the Greens' Bas Eickhout.

Schmit remained largely quiet throughout the debate but did intervene to call out von der Leyen.

"I am a bit astonished by your response, that was something a bit strange because values and rights cannot be defined according to some political arrangement, either you can deal with the extreme right because you need them, or you say clearly there is no deal possible because they do not respect the fundamental rights our Commission has fought for," he said.

It is not the first time the EPP has expressed its will to collaborate with the hard right.

Euractiv reported in March that forming a pro-EU coalition between the EPP, S&D, and the liberal Renew will not be easy.

In an interview with Euractiv on 4 March, EPP Secretary General Thanasis Bakolas said there will be "healthy" elements on the right who will support the EPP's red lines.

"We need to look at who these political elements are and help them distinguish themselves from the far right [… because if they look at us, essentially it means they are looking to be distinguished from the far right elements, that do not define the tenets that I just described pro-Europe, pro-NATO, pro-Ukraine."

EPP boss: Key policy portfolios should be in EU centre-right's 'steady' hands after elections

The political balance of power that will emerge after the EU elections in June will be a "straightforward call" for the EU centre-right to keep key EU policy portfolios under its helm, Thanasis Bakolas, Secretary General of the European People's Party, Europe's largest political family, told Euractiv in an interview ahead of the party's congress on 6-7 March in Bucharest.

He warned, however, that this will take time.

"It takes time to politically position oneself and adjust, and we will see who these political elements are and how they position themselves. But, you know, the day after the elections, we need a majority to get the job done regarding the top positions, the Commission and the other institutions. The timing of the two is not necessarily something that's going to coincide".

Bakolas' comments triggered the reaction of his socialist counterpart Giacomo Filibeck, who told Euractiv that his party would not negotiate a pro-EU majority if any member from the European Conservatives and Reformists Group (ECR) or far-right Identity and Democracy were also involved,

"I have to be clear: The European People's Party (EPP) can talk to whoever they want, but among those who will gather around the table for negotiations for a pro-European majority following the results of the next elections in the European Parliament, will not be ECR or ID people."

According to the latest projections from Europe Elects, the EPP is estimated to get 183 seats, followed by the S&D with 140 seats and Renew with 86.

Altogether, these parties could get 409 seats, forming a safe pro-European majority in the EU House.

Not all EPP members see a potential collaboration with Meloni's ECR in a positive light.

EPP Group Vice-President and Romanian MEP Siegfried Mureșan recently denied that Meloni's party Fratelli d'Italia is a pro-European force and insisted on a pro-EU coalition with the socialists and liberals.

However, he noted that no legislation will pass against EPP's will.

"So the majority will be the same, but with a strengthened EPP and with no possibility for the socialists to outvote the EPP with the other left parties," he said.

EU centre-right plots post-election alliances left and right

A balance of power shift after the European Parliament elections will give the centre-right European People's Party (EPP) the upper hand, allowing them to bend the left while also reaching out to the right in a delicate balancing act that has the potential to backfire.

Russian interference

Russian interference was one of the central topics during the debate, with the whole political spectrum teaming up against the Identity and Democracy group (ID), which has been recently at the epicentre of Russian interference and Chinese espionage scandals.

Von der Leyen used the matter to snap back at her critics.

"I see what the AfD colleagues have done; they are under investigation for being in the pocket of Putin, and if you look at the electoral programme, you will see they echo the lies and the propaganda of the Kremlin, so clean up your house before you criticise us!" she said.

Meanwhile, ID's Vistisen responded, "You have to combat it [corruption/foreign interference], you have to fight it, but what you are doing is that you are making equality between legitimate criticising a federalist European Union and disinformation, I have not conducted disinformation today," also attacking the Socialists for their some of their MEPs involvement in Qatargate and von der Leyen's Pfizergate scandal.

[Edited by Alice Taylor | Euractiv.com]

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