The President of the European People's Party (EPP) and President of the EPP Group in the European Parliament, Manfred Weber, stated this Wednesday in Brussels at the Forum Europa that Spain is currently "absent" from the European political debate due to the government of Pedro Sánchez and that the country needs a "reset" under the "leadership" of the PP President, Alberto Núñez Feijóo.
Weber made these remarks while participating in an information session organized by New Economy Forum in the EU capital, where the European leader was introduced by Dolors Montserrat, Secretary General of the European People's Party.
The EPP President criticized Sánchez's defense policy and emphasized that he hopes "everyone is respecting NATO agreements, because I've been told that in Sánchez's Spain, with this government, they currently have the lowest military investment in the world" all the countries of the Atlantic Alliance.
Weber emphasized that Feijóo is part of the group of "strong" European leaders of the EPP, along with figures like Donald Tusk and Friedrich Merz. However, he maintained that "Spain is absent" from major European decisions under the current socialist government of Sánchez.
For this reason, he expressed his confidence that Spain will hold general elections "as soon as possible," since a "reboot" of the country is necessary under Feijóo's "leadership".
"AUTOCRAT" SÁNCHEZ
Furthermore, Weber highlighted the importance of the relationship between the EPP and the Spanish PP, and recalled that his "first trip in 2025 was to Madrid, and my first trip in 2026 was to Madrid to meet with Alberto Núñez Feijóo" with the aim of coordinating strategies and giving Europe "a good, positive outlook".
Monserrat emphasized that Weber's relationship with Feijóo is "so deep" because they were both born in small villages, he in Bavaria and the Spanish People's Party leader in Galicia, and "both share the same vision of the EU".
The Spanish representative expressed her confidence that Feijóo will reach La Moncloa (the Spanish Prime Minister's residence) "in a few months". She also emphasized that Weber "is particularly pained by two things: the extremism that challenges the European project" and "the autocrats who call themselves democrats, like Sánchez, while they undermine the rule of law in Spain".
The MEP stressed that she is "very proud to say that I share a parliamentary group and party with a tireless worker and a leader who does not remain silent in the face of those who shout, polarize, and raise their voices in hatred", referring to Weber.
"LOYALTY, RESPECT, AND UNITY"
Montserrat added that "faced with those who are determined to see the European project fail and our system of values collapse", she chooses "the Weber formula: listen, trust, and work", and thanked the EPP president "for "To inspire us all with leadership that is firm in its values, serene in tone, and humane in its approach".
She added that "it's easy to be generous when everything is going well", but that "what's difficult is acting and defending values when circumstances are difficult", and affirmed that "that is what I have learned from Manfred Weber working alongside him: loyalty, respect, unity, and generosity".
The Secretary General of the European People's Party concluded her remarks by stating that these are "values that neither brute force nor extremism will ever be able to destroy", and thanked Weber "for being here with us today".
