European Parliament Vice-President Katarina Barley has criticised centre-right European People’s Party (EPP) leader Manfred Weber for deliberately opening the door to govern with the hard-right.
Centre-right parties across Europe are themselves being drawn further to the Right and happily cooperate with parties that would previously have been considered untouchable, said Barley, who is Vice President for the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the Strasbourg-based assembly.
“In general, it is now often the case that the Conservatives’ ‘firewall’ against the right-wing populists and the fascists no longer exists,” the SPD politician told the German news outlet Augsburger Allgemeine on August 7. The firewall is not only “full of holes, but torn up” – in Sweden, Finland and Italy, she said.
“That is our biggest problem in Europe right now.”
Regarding the Conservative EPP leader Weber, Barley said: “Especially in Germany, we witness a strong rightward course in the CDU and CSU [parties].”
She accused Weber of openly encouraging the hard-right, pointing out that after the 2024 European elections, he said he intended to cooperate with right-wing populists and more extreme right-wing parties.
Weber told German TV channel ZDF on August 6 that his party adhered to firm principles in dealing with other “forces”. Only those who stand by Ukraine, who want to help shape Europe positively rather than abolish it, and who defend the rule of law can be democratic partners of his party, he added.
“For us, there is no wavering in these three principles. Anyone who accepts that can be a political partner,” he said, adding that those who don’t stick to those principles, such as Germany’s right-wing AfD, are opponents “and are being fought by us”.
Speaking on Russia Today in 2019, when Moscow was already in conflict with Ukraine, Barely said: “We maintain a close relationship with Russia,” adding: “Russia has always been our partner and will remain so.”
Also, @katarinabarley, was war das? Lapsus, Desorientierung, Anbiederung, Wurstigkeit, politisches Signal? Erklären Sie sich! Die massive Kritik an Ihrem Interview mit Putins Propagandasender verlangt zu Recht Aufklärung! https://t.co/fvDJAXFy3U
— Reinhard Bütikofer (@bueti) April 12, 2019
