The leaders of the national parties belonging to the European People’s Party (EPP) and the Presidents of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, have been invited to Zagreb on Friday 30 and Saturday 31 January to set their political priorities for 2026, a year which should be devoted to implementing the commitments made at the 2024 European elections and which precedes a crucial year for the future of the European Union, with a number of elections to be held, including the French presidential elections.
A number of issues are on the agenda of the Christian Democrats, who dominate political life in many Member States and within the EU institutions. Hosting the meeting, Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković is keen to highlight the demographic challenge facing Europe, at a time when many young Croatians are still leaving their country to try their luck abroad.
The EPP leaders will also finalise their political programme for 2026. The top priority is economic competitiveness, in particular through the deepening of the internal market. Then there is the implementation of European rules to manage migratory flows, and progress in making European defence a reality.
On defence issues, Nicolás Pascual De la Parte, coordinator of the EPP Group in the European Parliament in this field, acknowledged on Tuesday 27 January that Europeans were not currently in a position to defend themselves alone, echoing statements made the previous day by NATO Secretary General Marc Rutte (see EUROPE 13794/18).
In front of the press, he advocated strengthening the “European pillar” within NATO so that Europeans could gradually increase their military capabilities, deeming the introduction of a “European preference” for equipment manufactured in the EU and EEA/EFTA countries to be “obvious and logical”. At the same time, he added, it is normal for Ukraine to obtain from the United States the equipment that the Europeans are unable to provide to defend itself against Russian military aggression.
Interviewed by Agence Europe, Mr Pascual De la Parte expressed a number of wishes concerning the European security strategy that the European Commission will be presenting in the next six months (see EUROPE 13788/21). We need to put into practice the concept of “integrated resilience”, which, in addition to the military aspect, must include “internal security” and the fight against all the “hybrid threats” (cyber attacks, physical attacks on critical infrastructures, disinformation) that the EU is facing, he said.
In Zagreb, the EPP leaders will adopt two declarations: on the demographic challenge and on the political priorities for 2026.
Institutional reform. The President of the EPP, Germany’s Manfred Weber, will also submit to his colleagues his suggestions on institutional reform, with the enlargement of the EU by 2030 raising the question of how a union of thirty member countries can function effectively.
While European leaders are increasingly acknowledging in private that the EU needs to change the way it works, they are reluctant to be ambitious in public on issues affecting national competences.
In the mind of the EPP President, the question of unanimous decisions by Member States in areas of foreign policy, such as European sanctions, must be raised.
Mr Weber would also like the Christian Democrats to consider what attitude to adopt when national EPP delegations oppose the majority Christian Democrat line, as we saw with the French and Polish delegations during the vote in Parliament on the trade agreement between the EU and the Mercosur countries. (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion)