The European People’s Party (EPP) lead candidate Ursula Von der Leyen refused to rule out cooperating with the far right European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR), even after being pushed in the debate by lead candidate Bas Eickhout at Politico’s Maastricht debate.
Bas Eickhout, the European Greens’ lead candidate, said after the debate: “Ursula von der Leyen is the lead candidate of the European People’s Party, representing all Christian-Democratic and Centre-Right parties in Europe. To hear that she does not exclude working with the ECR, which unites the Polish PIS party, the far right Spanish Vox, and Zemmour’s party, is shocking. This shows that a vote for Christian-Democrats and centre-right parties risks bringing the far-right back into power in Europe.”
“This is exactly what the June 6 - 9 elections are about. Either Von der Leyen will work with the far right ECR and abandon the Green Deal. Or in these crucial elections voters can vote Green to ensure that Europe chooses to act on the climate crisis and strengthen European democracy. Choose Courage, choose Green!”
Bas Eickhout attacked Von der Leyen on watering down the Green Deal. “Von der Leyen promised that the Green Deal would be Europe’s ‘man on the moon moment’. But now she is saying to take Europe only halfway to the moon. The climate emergency has not lost any of its urgency and yet she is failing to deliver the full amount of measures needed. We see rising social inequalities and attacks on our democracy. Voting Green will be the vote for climate action, green investment and reducing the cost of living”.
In the polls held by Politico and shown in the auditorium at the end of the debate, 45% of participants voted for Bas Eickhout as the candidate who they would most like to see as the President of the European Commission, ahead of Ursula von der Leyen with 31%. The lead candidates of the other European political parties got less than 7% of the audience vote.
