EU(TOP)-NOTCH ELECTION INSIDER
Von der Leyen wants to push ahead with cutting red tape and defends "Green Deal"
06.05.2024: Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (CDU/EPP) has once again announced that she will push for a reduction in bureaucracy in Europe if she is re-elected: The EU must "prescribe less" to companies so that they can be "innovative", she said at the CDU federal party conference in Berlin.
In her speech, the lead candidate of the European People's Party (EPP) defended the European environmental project "Green Deal", which is also controversial in her par-ty: as climate change is real, "we must do more and we have every opportunity." The "innovative and clean energies" of the "Green Deal" are not only good for the cli-mate, but also "good for our economy". The-se environmentally friendly new develop-ments strengthen Europe's competitiveness, prosperity and independence. However, von der Leyen made it clear that climate protec-tion should not be at the expense of the competitiveness of the economy: "We want our companies to remain leaders on the global markets."
Habeck criticises EU rule of "one commissioner per Member State"
07.05.2024: Federal Economics Minister Robert Habeck (Bündnis 90/Die Grünen, Greens/EFA) does not believe it makes sense for each EU Member State to have its own Commissioner in Brussels: "We will have to find a solution where we pool or countries take turns." In addition, qualified majority decisions should be introduced in all areas. It makes no sense for individual sta-tes, such as Hungary, to block important decisions with their veto.
According to Habeck, these reforms are absolutely necessary to ensure that the EU remains capable of acting even after the accession of further states. Candidates - such as Ukraine and the Balkan states - are "part of the European family and need a genuine and credible prospect of joining the EU". The Union will support these states on their path: "Otherwise these countries will continue to hang between a rock and a hard place or they will come under Russian in-fluence."
The EU should also play a stronger role in foreign and security policy. However, this requires that defence equipment is no longer predominantly procured nationally. The Europe-wide financial volume is currently being utilised inefficiently here.
Socialists, Greens and Liberals warn against right-wing alliance
01.05.2024: The European Social Democrats, Greens and Liberals have criticised Ursula von der Leyen over a possible coope-ration between the EPP and the national conservative Group of European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) after the Euro-pean elections. The EU Commission Presi-dent had not ruled out such cooperation when she was asked about it during the Maastricht debate of the lead candidates on 29.04.2024.
In response, the Party of European Socialists (PES) declared that it would "neither cooperate nor enter into a coalition with the right". The European Greens and Liberals also spoke out against cooperation with the ECR and ID (Identity and Democracy) groups.
The political background: Von der Leyen could need the votes of the Social De-mocrats, Greens and Liberals in the European Parliament after the European elec-tions in order to become Commission President again.
CDU Executive Committee member Jens Spahn defended his party colleague: "Ursula von der Leyen is absolutely right. We must become as strong as possible as the Euro-pean People's Party and then we will see which partners we can work with."
Possible Commissioner Fearne criticised
Members of the European Parliament's Health Committee have questioned the no-mination of Maltese Deputy Prime Minister Chris Fearne for the post of EU Commissio-ner after it emerged that he is facing criminal charges in connection with a deal for three hospitals. Fearne, who has denied any wrongdoing, was seen as the frontrunner to succeed Stella Kyriakides as Health Commissioner after the EU elections. He was the longest-serving health minister in Europe until he was transferred to another position in January 2024 and continues to be at the forefront of global health discussions. Last year, he chaired the World Health Assembly and is Vice-Chair of the Global Leaders Group on Antimicrobial Resistance. After a court document revealed that Fearne is fa-cing charges of fraud and embezzlement, some MEPs have suggested that the former health minister's nomination could now be in jeopardy. In order to join the College of Commissioners as Health Commissioner, Fearne would need to be confirmed by both the Par-liament's Environment and Health Commit-tee (ENVI) and the Council.
MEMBER STATES IN THE SPOTLIGHT
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Germany: CDU adopts fundamental programme / Outra-ge at attack on SPD candidate
The CDU (EPP) adopted a new basic programme at its national party conference in Berlin on 06./08.05.2024. The title: "Living in freedom - leading Germany safely into the future." In the chapter on Europe, the CDU declares its willingness as a "German European party" to hand over further national competences to the EU. However, the core identity of the German constitution must be preserved.
In its basic programme, the CDU calls for the EU institutions to be modernised: The Commission must be significantly reduced in size and Frontex, the agency responsible for the EU's external borders, must be developed into a genuine border police force and coastguard. The CDU also took a clear stance on the issue of joint EU borrowing: "We reject any further development of the one-off reconstruction fund into a transfer union." On the last day of the party con-ference, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen spoke in favour of "less bureaucracy" and "simpler procedures" within the EU.
The attack on Matthias Ecke, top candidate of the Saxon SPD (S&D), outraged the whole of Germany. Ecke was attacked and injured by four young men on 03.05.2024 while he was putting up election posters. Many thousands of people demonstrated in Dresden and Berlin against the use of violence in political disputes. SPD leaders Saskia Esken and Lars Klingbeil criticised the "devious attack" and condemned it "in the strongest terms": "The perpetrators want to intimi-date us as representatives of a democratic society. But they will not succeed." Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) described the act as depressing: "Democracy is threatened by something like this, and that is why we must never shrug our shoulders." The interior ministers of the federal states met on 07.05.2024. They spoke out in favour of better protection for all political activists and stricter criminal law.
France: Renaissance finalises its list and presents its election programme
The Renaissance party (Renew) has finalised its list for the European elections. Bernard Guetta follows lead candidate Valérie Hayer in second place. Guetta worked as a journalist for many years, has been a member of Parliament since 2019 and is considered an expert on international issues and security. Marie-Pierre Vedrenne, former Member of the Eu-ropean Parliament and member of the Committee on International Trade (INTA), is running in third place on the list. Pascal Canfin, Chairman of the Environment Committee (ENVI), follows in fourth place. Nathalie Loiseau, Sandro Gozi, Fabienne Keller, Grégory Allione, Laurence Farreng and Gilles Boyer follow in places five to ten. Renaissance is running together with the parties Horizons and MoDem un-der the list name "Besoin d'Europe". Renaissance currently has 23 MEPs in the European Parliament and, according to the polls, can expect to win between twelve and 15 seats.
The Renaissance election programme contains 48 proposals to help the EU tackle three major risks: Security and migrati-on, climate and economy, and attacks on democracy and European values. For example, Europe must become less dependent on Russian energy and trade with China. It is also necessary to develop its own alternatives to the US military defence shield.
Renaissance proposes investments totalling 100 billion eu-ros to promote industrial production. A significant proportion of this money should be made available for European de-fence projects. In order to achieve these goals, the remit of the European Investment Bank (EIB) would have to be expanded: It should also be able to finance defence equipment in future. In the energy, transport, digital, health and space
sectors, Renaissance is calling for a "Plan Europe 2030". This long-term project should have a volume of one trillion euros and be financed by a joint EU bond. The topics of EU enlargement and Ukraine accession are not on the Renaissance election programme.
Spain: Partido Popular draws up list / Elected Sumar-MEPs in different political groups after the election
MEP Dolors Montserrat once again heads the list of the Partido Popular (EPP). She was already the lead candi-date in 2019 and is considered one of the fiercest critics of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez (PSOE). Montserrat particularly criticised his controversial amnesty law, which is intended to pardon separatists who want to secede their home region of Catalonia from Spain. The Spanish parlia-ment is due to pass this amnesty in the summer on Sán-chez's initiative. Montserrat announced that she would "defend the Spanish people in Europe" and "send a strong message" that "Spain does not support Sánchez's shamelessness".
The first ten places on the Partido Popular list are occupied by three new candidates who have not previously been in the European Parliament: Carmen Crespo, Alma Ezcur-ra and Fernando Navarrete. In fourth place is the incum-bent MEP Esteban González Pons. Javier Zarzalejos (sixth place), Rosa Estarás (seventh), Francisco Millán (eighth), Pilar del Castillo (ninth) and Adrián Vázquez Lázara (tenth) are further incumbent members of parlia-ment. The Partido Popular is currently polling at 35 per cent - or 23 seats in parliament - and would therefore win the European elections by a clear margin.
After the elections, the coalition of the left-wing party Sumar, led by Labour Minister Yolanda Díáz, will split into different parliamentary groups: Comunes and Compromís as well as the Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya will opt for the Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance (EFA). However, the candidate of the United Left, Manu Pineda, will remain in the Left Group if he is elected. Estrella Galán, Jaume Asens and Vicent Marzà occupy the first three places on Sumar's list.
Lithuania: President Naus?da leads in the election polls / Referendum on dual citizenship
Lithuania will elect a new president on 12.05.2024 and at the same time vote in a referendum on whether dual citizenship should be possible in future. The incumbent pre-sident, Gitanas Naus?da, has a good chance of being re-elected. Several polls currently put him at 30 per cent, while the second-placed candidate, Ignas Vegele, would only receive 16 per cent. The future president needs at least 50 per cent of the votes cast in the first round of voting - so a second vote is very likely.
The referendum on dual citizenship is being hotly de-bated: Only Lithuanians who have emigrated to a country that fulfils the "criteria of European and transatlantic integration" would be entitled to this dual citizenship. This is intended to prevent Russian-speaking Lithuanian citizens from also being able to apply for Russian passports.