The President of the European People's Party (EPP) and President of the EPP Group in the European Parliament, Manfred Weber, stated this Wednesday at the Forum Europa in Brussels that the "decisive battle" in the 2029 European elections could be between the EPP and the far-right, due to the weakness of other political positions, such as the center-left.
Weber made these remarks while participating in an information session organised 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 expressed his concern about the current weakness of center-left political forces and stated that he would love to see socialists, liberals, and greens "re-emerge as a stronger center-left at the European level to have genuine, healthy competition between the center and center-left".
He asserted that the EPP has a clear strategy against extremism and defined three fundamental red lines for any political cooperation: "We only work with those who are pro-European, pro-Ukrainian, and supporters of the rule of law".
At the same time, he mentioned his concern that, in the lead-up to the 2029 European elections, a situation could be emerging where the "decisive battle" will be between the EPP and the far-right. He indicated that he hopes this "does not happen", but stressed that it is something that could occur.
THREE KEY RED LINES
The European leader recalled that when journalists asked him if he would accept the formation of a minority government in Sweden with the Sweden Democrats, he stated that "no one can say" that the country's Prime Minister, Ulf Kristersson, is not respecting the principles of the EPP—being pro-European, pro-Ukrainian, and defending the rule of law.
Weber also defended his decision to be "the first European politician" to travel to Rome to meet with Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, after she came to power. He noted that he received criticism for this, but indicated that the Italian leader "has always been active in European politics" and "has always been pro-Ukrainian and pro-Atlantic".
He emphasised that "there is no debate about the rule of law in Italy" and stressed that Antonio Tajani, the country's Deputy Prime Minister, "is the safeguard" for this government to remain "at the heart of Europe", while also praising the contributions of Meloni's Cabinet on migration, trade, and support for Ukraine.
He indicated that the EPP is currently "the party with the best chance of winning in Hungary" after welcoming the Tisza Party, which is "8% ahead" of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's party in the polls. At the same time, he highlighted that Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk is waging "a courageous fight against extremism and populism" in his country.
DIFFERENCES WITHIN EXTREMISM
Weber warned that "you can never compare one country to another" because "we have different situations within the EU", citing as an example that "even within the Patriots group, before the European elections, Orbán and Le Pen decided to expel the AfD because they are genuine neo-Nazis, at least some of them".
He emphasised that this demonstrates "the different nuances of this populism and radicalism in Europe" and criticised the situation in France, where he considered the left "quite anti-European", while stating that "I don't see the same behavior on the left" as the EPP maintains in the face of extremism.
He highlighted that his party has made progress in internal unity and recalled that "the French delegation did not vote against the European Commission last week" because "they did not support the motion of no confidence", which he considered "a good sign" that there is "some progress within the EPP family toward greater unity".
He concluded that the EPP has a clear strategic position and pointed out that "we, as the EPP, know what we have to do" because they are "on the front line" defending "a united Europe with strong national and regional identities", which is "what is at stake" against those who fundamentally oppose this project.
