EU(TOP)-NOTCH ELECTION INSIDER

Von der Leyen about to officially announce her top candidacy

18 02.2024: On this date, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will officially announce at a meeting of the CDU (EPP) in Berlin that she is available for a second term at the head of the EU Commission. One day later, the party will nominate von der Leyen as the lead candidate of the European People's Party (EPP). This schedule is based on the agenda of the CDU meeting. On 06. and 07.03.2024, von der Leyen is to be elected as the lead candidate for the European elections at an EPP party congress in Bucharest, presumably without an opposing candidate. However, she will probably not be on the ballot paper for the European elections, as she is not on the state list of the CDU in Lower Saxony, as she was in the 2019 elections.

?

EU Agriculture Commissioner Wojciechowski defends himself against calls for his resignation

09.02.2024: Polish Agriculture Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski is coming under increasing political pressure: his party colleague Jaros?aw Kaczyński, leader of the PiS party, has called on him to resign due to protests by Polish farmers against EU agricultural policy and trade with Ukraine.

However, Kaczyński has no influence on whether the EU Commissioner will honour this request. Background: Although the PiS had proposed Wojciechowski as Poland's representative on the EU Commission in 2019, it lost the elections in December 2023. Wojciechowski has since denied reports that he is considering resigning. He said he had no intention of resigning and was not to blame for the protests by farmers across Europe. "I see no reason for my resignation," he told Polish media, "EU commissioners do not take instructions from the capitals of Member States." Although he respects Kaczyński's views, he "will not act under pressure." However, Wojciechowski's return to office can be ruled out as he is not supported by the Tusk government.

?

European defence policy is increasingly becoming a focus of the election campaign

13.02.2024: A security policy debate has flared up in Europe following the statements made by former US President Donald Trump. In an interview, Trump announced that the USA would no longer protect those NATO members who do not fulfil their financial obligations to NATO from a Russian attack.

Katarina Barley, lead candidate of the SPD (S&D), said that Europe could no longer rely on the support of the USA in the long term and would also have to consider acquiring its own nuclear weapons on the way to a European army. The leading candidate of the FDP (Renew), Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, on the other hand, rejected the idea of Europe having its own nuclear deterrent: Neither French nor British nuclear weapons could replace the American defence shield. Furthermore, Europe would not be able to build up a convincing nuclear deterrent of its own within a few years, even if it wanted to. Politicians from the CDU (EPP) expressed similar scepticism. However, Manfred Weber, EPP group leader and lead candidate of the CSU (EPP), spoke out in favour of the long-term development of a European nuclear umbrella in an interview with the BILD newspaper: "Europe must become so strong militarily that nobody wants to compete with us, which means we need deterrence. Deterrence includes nuclear weapons."

?

Weimar Triangle against disinformation from Russia

12.02.2024: France, Germany and Poland want to take joint action against Russian disinformation. Foreign Ministers Stéphane Séjourné, Annalena Baerbock and Rados?aw Sikorski reactivated the "Weimar Triangle" at their meeting in France. This historic cooperation between the three countries now serves the goal of joining forces against "the strongest and most immediate threat to the security, peace and stability of the Euro-Atlantic area". The participants pledged to create "a warning and response programme" against information manipulation and interference by third countries and to "make more effective use of online platforms".

MEMBER STATES IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Germany: Ursula von der Leyen to announce official candidacy

18.02.2024: EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen travels to Berlin to attend first the meeting of the Bureau and then, on 19.02.2024, the meeting of the Executive Committee of the CDU (EPP). The agenda for the Executive Committee meeting includes the nomination of the lead candidate. It is considered certain that von der Leyen will be the CDU (EPP) candidate. The CDU Executive Committee will also propose her as the joint lead candidate of the European People's Party (EPP). The EPP Congress is to elect von der Leyen on 07.03.2024 in Bucharest.

EPP Group Chairman Manfred Weber had already involved her intensively in the work on the EPP manifesto within the party. He emphasised that with Ursula von der Leyen and Parliament President Roberta Metsola, the party wants to send two strong female forces into the election campaign.

However, the CDU and EPP expect the work on the election programme to be more clearly oriented towards the party's core conservative issues than before. Party members criticised von der Leyen for sticking too strictly to some of the controversial goals of the "Green Deal" for too long. She only changed course in the summer of 2023 because she needs the support of the EPP to run for office again. Since then, von der Leyen has repeatedly emphasised the competitiveness of the EU and recently withdrew the politically controversial Pesticides Directive in order to accommodate farmers, who are an important voter base for the EPP.

It remains to be seen whether von der Leyen will maintain her change of course: The heads of state and government of the Member States have the final say on her possible re-election as President of the EU Commission. However, if the EPP once again becomes the strongest force in the European Parliament, the way would probably be clear for von der Leyen.

?

Germany: New Parliamentary Secretary of the CSU/CDU

Following the departure of Markus Pieper, Christiane Schneider is to become the new Parliamentary Secretary of the CDU/CSU Group (EPP) in the European Parliament. She is to be elected on 20.02.2024 on the proposal of the Chairman of the CDU/CSU Group, Daniel Caspary. Her predecessor Markus Pieper will become the Commission's Envoy for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs).

?

Finland: Stubb becomes new president

11.02.2024: The conservative Alexander Stubb (NCP, EPP) becomes the new President of Finland. The 55-year-old won the run-off election against his opponent Pekka Haavisto (Green League, Greens/EFA) with 51.6 per cent to 48.4 per cent of the vote. In the end, the two candidates were only separated by around 100,000 votes. Voter turnout was 70.7 per cent.

Stubb was overwhelmed: This election success was the greatest honour of his life. Stubb is pro-European, critical of Russia and a staunch supporter of Ukraine. Finland's current policy towards Russia is therefore unlikely to change.

The president's most important tasks include deciding on foreign and security policy together with the government, appointing members of the government and passing laws. He is also commander-in-chief of the Finnish armed forces. The President traditionally does not comment on domestic policy issues.

France: Glucksmann top candidate on the joint list of Parti Socialiste and Place publique

11.02.2024: Rapha?l Glucksmann (Place publique, S&D) has officially been named the lead candidate of the joint list of the Parti Socialiste (PS, S&D) and Place publique (S&D). In the polls, he currently has ten per cent of the vote with his list. This means that the PS/Place publique list can hope to send around ten candidates to the European Parliament. The other candidates in the first ten places on the list also include MEPs Aurore Lalucq (Place publique, S&D), Nora Mebarek (PS, S&D) and Christophe Clergeau (PS, S&D).

PS and Place publique have recently renewed their invitation to the French Greens to draw up a joint list. However, the national secretary of the French Greens, Marine Tondelier (Europe écologie Les Verts, Greens/EFA), rejected this: PS politicians in France are responsible for major projects that they consider to be unecological. Therefore, they could not stand together in the European elections.

It remains to be seen whether other left-wing forces will join the joint list; Christophe Clergeau (PS, S&D) also hopes for such alliances "to create a counterweight to the extreme right".

?

France: Renaissance still without a lead candidate

12.02.2024: Renaissance (Renew), the party of French President Emmanuel Macron, is still looking for a lead candidate for the European elections. The most likely candidate, Stéphane Séjourné, became French Foreign Minister. Three other prominent figures in French politics have cancelled: Julien Denormandie, former Minister of Agriculture, Richard Ferrand, former President of the French National Assembly, and the current Minister of the Economy, Bruno Le Maire.

According to rumours, former defence minister Jean-Yyes Le Drian is now considered the most likely frontrunner. However, President Macron appears to be in no hurry to nominate a list leader for Renaissance (Renew). According to the presidential palace, the content and form of the election campaign are decisive for success, but not the lead candidate. The election campaign and the dates of the possible Renaissance party conferences have already been largely finalised.

?

Hungary: President resigns

10.02.2024: Hungarian President Katalin Novák has resigned. The reason: just a few days ago, it was revealed that Novák had pardoned a man who had been sentenced to eight years in prison for aiding and abetting the sexual abuse of minors in August 2023.

Following this revelation, Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orbán distanced himself from his close ally. Former Justice Minister Judit Varga has also resigned as a member of parliament due to the pardon scandal. The up-and-coming politician was supposed to head the Fidesz (formerly EPP) list as the lead candidate in the European elections.

#EUTOP #EUElections #EU #EuropeanUnion #Politics #Newsletter #StayInformed