Brussels, 05/05/2014 (Agence Europe) - Dismissing the Socialist and Christian Democrat parties as dinosaurs, the Liberal candidate for the post of president of the European Commission argued for a new majority at the European Parliament. Guy Verhofstadt was speaking on the subject at the election rally of his party, which was held in Vienna on Friday 2 May.
Verhofstadt vowed a surprise for the day after the European elections of 25 May with the accession of a large pro-European Liberal group, which is stronger than the Eurosceptics.
The third, Liberal path. “You know what happened to the dinosaurs? They don't exist any more!”, joked the Belgian Liberal by way of introduction. He then laid into the two main rival parties in Europe, stating his view that the policies of the EPP and the PES led straight to crisis.
“The Conservatives are conservative, they don't want reform (…). Their policy is one of denial”, he said. As for the Socialists, they pursue a policy of blame without providing any solutions, he added, which has led to a “Ponzi scheme of public debt”.
Verhostadt stressed that the “old recipes” are not working any more and that we now “need something completely different, a radical shift, a real alternative, a new leadership”, which the Liberals perfectly represent.
“We need strong, Liberal European Commissioners and we need a new majority in the EP, centred around our vision, not based on beliefs but on the understanding of how our world works”, he told his supporters. He pointed out that the core of his message is clear - the Liberals want further integration in the true sectors of the economy, such as banks, digital and energy. He spoke in favour of a new wave in single market integration. “We want to bring together everybody who believes in Europe, who believes that more integration is the solution and the way to go”. Verhofstadt clearly intends there to be a surprise in store after 25 May, with a third, Liberal party which is “bigger and stronger” than the Eurosceptics, he told EUROPE.
Crusade against EPP and Eurosceptics. The Liberal spoke out strongly against the Conservatives of the EPP, saying that there was no place for the “(Silvio) Berlusconis or the Viktor Orbans of this world”. He questioned the status of this party, adding that it was time to “come clean”, the values and principles are just as important as the size of a party or its number of seats”.
Verhofstadt was also scathing of Eurosceptics, pointing out that Nigel Paul Farage, leader of the UK Independence Party (UKIP), had defended the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad at a plenary session of the European Parliament. He spoke out against the French MEP Marine Le Pen and the Dutch MEP Geert Wilders for their admiration of and support for Vladimir Putin. “I found that disgraceful for a democratic Europe”, he said.
And what of federalism? During his speech, Verhofstadt made no mention of the concept of European federalism or the scenario of a United States of Europe, even though this is part of his rhetoric. He told EUROPE that the word federalism was sometimes misconstrued by certain countries of the European Union. The Liberal candidate to replace José Manuel Barroso at the helm of the European Commission would like a Europe which is stronger in the fields in which it can add value and lead to economies of scale. However, he has no wish to create a super state. (MD)