On Thursday, 22 February, Portugal’s Pedro Marques—the S&D Group’s vice-chair for foreign affairs in the European Parliament—expressed his hope that President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, who is seeking reelection in the European elections in June, “will not go back on certain points or slow down” the pace of the ‘European Green Deal’ during the campaign.
“[Mrs von der Leyen] is also a ‘European People’s Party’ candidate, and we are going to examine the inconsistencies. Is she going to continue to fight for the ‘Green Deal’ as she has done, or is she going to act as a brake on the ‘Green Deal’? Is it going to change with the elections? This is one of the campaign’s issues”, stated Mr Marques.
“It is a fight for the ‘Green Deal’—not a fight to know who is going to win between her and Manfred Weber”, he added.
Moreover, the S&D vice-chair also reiterated that particular attention would be paid to the “EPP’s rapprochement with conservatives and the far right” while Manfred Weber, the chair of the Christian Democrat group, has not completely closed the door on extending a hand to certain parties in the ECR Group during the elections (see EUROPE 13329/29).
When asked about a potential alliance with the sovereignists and Eurosceptics united under the banner of the European Conservatives [and Reformists Group], the current president of the European Commission had replied on Wednesday, 21 February, that she would work “with pro-European, pro-NATO, pro-Ukrainian—clearly supporters of our democratic values—groups”, explaining that the [ECR] Group could evolve and differ from its current configuration after the elections (see EUROPE 13354/4). (Original version in French by Thomas Mangin)