In the run-up to the European election campaign, the leader of the Renew Europe group in the European Parliament, French MEP Stéphane Séjourné, warned the press, on Tuesday 9 January, of the rise of populists and the far right in Europe. He spoke out in favour of a European “incarnation” for his centre-right political family. This could result in the potential nomination of ‘lead candidates’ (‘Spitzenkandidaten’) to preside over the European Council, the European Commission and the European Parliament, in the event of a Liberal and Democrat victory in the European elections next June.
Faced with the rise of the far right, “the risk of an ungovernable Europe is quite real within the European Parliament (...) During this campaign, we will be working to move from being convinced Europeans to convincing Europeans”, he declared.
He explained that a manifesto would shortly be published in response to the rise of populism and nationalism in Europe, and that a platform had been created with the ‘Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe’ (ALDE), the ‘European Democratic Party’ and the French Renaissance party, with the aim of preparing for the European elections and agreeing on the possible Spitzenkandidaten candidates. For ALDE, the deadline for nominations is 29 February (see EUROPE 13283/2).
Asked about the political polls, which predict a loss of seats for the Renew Europe group, calling into question its place as the third largest political family in the European Parliament, Mr Séjourné said that he was working on concluding agreements with new political parties in order to retain between 90 and 100 MEPs.
“I’m not questioning the polls at all. But things are changing, and many political parties have been created between 2019 and today”, he said.
Regarding the composition of the future Parliament, he explained that he would like to see a “von der Leyen majority with the EPP, S&D and Renew Europe in coalition”, assuring that there would be no possible alliance with the current European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group.
“Even if we have a majority, there cannot be an EPP, ECR, Renew Europe alliance, with the composition of ECR at this stage. Either ECR cleans up its act and sorts out the parties that are reputable and the parties that are not - and I’m prepared to take a look - but, at this stage, that’s strictly impossible”.
Asked about a possible coalition with the European ecologists, the leader of Renew Europe recalled that such a willingness had arisen in the past. In his view, the Greens have a role to play in a pro-European majority, but to do so they need to be more “responsible and reliable partners, which they are not today”.
The question on everyone’s mind just a few days after the current President of the European Council, Charles Michel, announced his future candidacy in the European elections (see EUROPE 13323/3), was whether he would obtain the status of Spitzenkandidat for his European political family.
While Mr Séjourné welcomed Charles Michel’s willingness to stand as a candidate and submit himself to universal suffrage, he simply stated that he would play an important role within the political family “in the same way as the heads of state or government who have followed us, as well as the colleagues in the political group and the political parties that make it up”, without giving any further details.
However, the French leader considered that, in the absence of transnational lists, the question of the Spitzenkandidat had less democratic relevance. However, he is in favour of the “incarnation” of the political family, i.e. the presentation of a single candidate or several candidates that citizens and voters can identify.
“Personally, I think that Renew Europe can field one candidate for each institution” for which the presidency will be vacant in 2024, he said. “We have former prime ministers and heads of state or government who are capable of embodying what we are doing in the European Council and, in the same way, in the European Commission and the European Parliament. (...) I think that a platform with three candidates could be the right way forward”.
The issue is currently under discussion and should be settled in the coming weeks. (Original version in French by Pauline Denys)