After starting a 'listening tour' of European citizens' concerns at the end of 2018, the European People's Party (EPP) candidate for the position of President of the European Commission, Germany's Manfred Weber, officially launched his campaign in Brussels on 3 April.
His slogan is "The power of WE", which is a play on the first two letters of his last name. This campaign launch comes at a time when the EPP party has just adopted its manifesto. The timetable that has been chosen is ideal, according to the candidate, because it has allowed him to listen to people, "unlike the others", who have long since decided on their election platform.
The EPP campaign and that of its Spitzenkandidat is structured around three main themes: - a strong and secure Europe; - a smart Europe; - a kind Europe.
The man from Bavaria wants to build on the legacy of the Juncker Commission, which has made progress in terms of job creation, the social rights pillar, and in reducing the number of migrant arrivals. His listening tour has taught him that politics must start with the specific problems encountered by ordinary people.
Regarding a strong Europe, the EPP wants to strengthen exchanges of data between security services in order to better fight terrorism, in particular. As for the protection of external borders, Mr Weber found that 10,000 new agents between now and 2027 for the European Coast and Border Guard Agency is "too late and unacceptable" (see EUROPE 12224/14). According to him, this should have already been the case "in the coming years".
A smart Europe means in particular, a Europe full of technological innovation, health or youth mobility; a Europe that will ensure that people do not have to go to other Member States to look for work.
A kind Europe, finally, is a Europe that does not sign free trade agreements that would have a negative impact on European citizens and a Europe that leaves "no one behind" in terms of digitisation or globalisation.
The candidate will now travel to Greece on April 23, which is his next major stopover. At the end of April, he will take part in a debate with the other top candidates in Maastricht.
What are the Bavarian's chances of replacing Mr. Juncker? The current leader of the EPP Group in the European Parliament is certain of his party's "full support", as they elected him in Helsinki in October 2018 against Alexander Stubb with nearly 80% of the votes (see EUROPE 12133/2).
The Bavarian is also obviously aware of rumours that the EU negotiator for Brexit, Michel Barnier, would also like to succeed Mr Juncker. But this does not seem to worry him.
According to recent Parliament projections, the EPP would remain in the lead, but like the other traditional parties, it is expected to lose deputies, achieving perhaps 188 seats compared to the current total of 217.
For the time being, Viktor Orbán's Hungarian Fidesz party, suspended on 20 March (see EUROPE 12218/8), remains in the EPP party. This could, however, also be different in the aftermath of the European elections in May.
For more information, see the EPP campaign website: https://bit.ly/2uLVP0M (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)