About: EPP
Hungarian FM: EPP should turn right and stop being shaped by socialists
The EU socialists have shaped the center-right European People’s Party (EPP) more than the other way around and this should stop, Hungarian Foreign Affairs Minister Péter Szijjártó told EURACTIV Croatia in an interview.
‘Environmentalist’ von der Leyen forgot farming in her speech, MEPs say
Ursula von der Leyen' slip-up on agriculture did not pass unnoticed by lawmakers, who voiced regret that the Commission president-elect did not mention at all the farming sector in the first speech she addressed to the plenary in Strasbourg last Tuesday (16 July).
Bulgarian EPP deputy: Don’t take vote for Ursula von der Leyen for granted
Part of the centre-right European People's Party (EPP) has serious doubts about Ursula von der Leyen’s nomination for President of the European Commission and may not support her, Bulgarian MEP Radan Kanev told news website EUelectionsBulgaria.com.
‘Institutional crisis’ if EU doesn’t pick Spitzenkandidat, EPP warns
EU member states risk plunging the blog into an "institutional crisis," should they decide to abandon the Spitzenkandidat process of selecting the next President of the European Commission, a senior EPP source has told EURACTIV.
Orban lost in the European wilderness
Despite securing a place among the very few European leaders with a landslide victory under their belt in the EU election, Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán is not celebrating, write Balázs Jarábik and Dániel Bartha.
Europe’s ambitious but uncertain future on show at Bratislava forum
As Globsec’s 2019 forum in Bratislava kicked off earlier this week, EURACTIV went along to listen to world leaders from politics, civil society and business on the Future of Europe. Here we present a summary of the main talking points in the field, across the first two days.
EU elections: Will 2019 be the year of climate action?
Climate change is now a top priority for EU voters, so where do the parities stand when it comes to climate action? Elisa Giannelli, explores.
Manfred Weber, a late convert to environmentalism
Despite his Christian convictions, the lead candidate for the European People’s Party (EPP) at this week’s EU elections has remained remarkably silent on defining environmental issues such as climate change before suddenly changing gear at the end of his campaign.
Manfred Weber: ‘Environmental issues are one of my areas of expertise’
The lead candidate for the centre-right in this week’s European elections says “Europe must move towards net-zero emissions by 2050,” voicing his belief in innovation and new technologies to drive the decarbonisation agenda if he becomes the next president of the European Commission.
Why Manfred Weber will probably not be elected
It is unlikely that Manfred Weber will become President of the European Commission. This is also because Germany often acts as a 'blocker'. Gerd Appenzeller, from EURACTIV's partner Der Tagesspiegel, gives his opinion.
European election candidates consider next steps for EU media policy
Lead candidates for the upcoming European elections are pondering ways of safeguarding the media sector's integrity in light of persistent economic challenges and emerging threats like Russian disinformation.
#EU2019 – Bulgaria’s Borissov says won’t resign if he loses EU elections
Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov, who has governed the country with small interruptions for ten years, said on Wednesday (8 May) he will not resign following the European elections. According to opinion polls, Borissov’s GERB party (EPP-affiliated) may lose to his arch-rivals, the socialists.
EPP divorce looms after Orban rejects Weber as Spitzenkandidat
The leader of Germany's conservatives said she expected Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's Fidesz party would quit Europe's main centre-right group after he withdrew support for the bloc's candidate to head the European Commission.
Bavarian, Austrian conservatives frown at Orbán’s call to ally with populists
The leaders of Austria and Bavaria rejected on Friday (3 May) a call by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán for their centre-right group in the European Parliament to ally with populist, nationalist parties ahead of EU elections later this month.
Pro-European candidates for EU election identify Council as the ‘common enemy’
An oddly uncontroversial debate between the lead candidates of the four major pro-European political families at this month's EU elections took place in Florence on Thursday (2 May).
EU country briefing: Hungary
Hungary became part of the EU during the 2004 “big bang” enlargement. The country is also part of the Visegrád Group, a cultural and political alliance, together with fellow EU states Poland, Slovakia and the Czech Republic.
Orban says Salvini is the most important politician in Europe
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has said the European Parliament's main centre-right group must forge an alliance with populist, nationalist groups after impending EU elections, receiving a swift rebuke from Germany's conservative leader.
Weber seeks powers to stop Nord Stream 2
The lead candidate for Europe's conservative bloc in next month's EU elections has said he would try to stop the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline if he becomes European Commission president, according to an interview published Tuesday (23 April).
UK should ‘cool down’, ditch Brexit – Timmermans
Britain should use the next few months to "cool down and rethink" its decision to leave the European Union, the socialist candidate to head the next European Commission, Frans Timmermans, said on Wednesday (17 April).
Victor Ponta: The ruling PSD in Romania is becoming like Fidesz
In a wide-ranging interview, the former Romanian Prime Minister Victor Ponta, who has founded a new centre-left force, Pro-Romania, doesn’t mince his words criticising his former party, the ruling PSD. The Party of European Socialists (PES) should, if necessary, show PSD the red card, he says.
Weber: Ignoring Spitzenkandidaten would harm EU democracy
Most European leaders and parties have agreed to the Spitzenkandidat principle. If they suddenly ditched it, it would be a huge step back for democracy in Europe and could risk conflict between the European Parliament and the Council, said Manfred Weber, the centre-right EPP party's Spitzenkandidat for the European elections.
Relations with Romania have become ‘heavier’, Commission admits
The European Commission admitted on Friday (29 March) that relations with Romania, the holder of the rotating EU presidency, had become “heavier” because of the case of Laura Codruța Kövesi, the top candidate for the post of the chief European prosecutor.
EPP has ‘lost all credibility’ after Orbán scandal, Verhofstadt says
The European People's Party has “lost all credibility and moral authority to lead the EU,” ALDE's leader Guy Verhofstadt has said, following the EPP's decision to suspend but not expel Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz party.