Tajani: In European Parliament “open to the ECR, or they will talk to Le Pen”

]Brussels – “No opening to the Greens,” if anything, an “opening to the conservatives” of the ECR. Foreign Minister and EPP Vice-President Antonio Tajani traces the line of the Populars for new alliances in and out of Parliament. Positions that go against the ‘wishes’ of the Socialists and Liberals, who have also ruled out cooperation with the Conservatives. However, Tajani explains, “We must be careful to exclude the conservatives because otherwise they will then go and talk to Marine Le Pen” and extreme right-wing forces, as demonstrated by the contacts between the leader of Rassemblement National herself and the ruling party in Italy.

So, the EPP’s vision is to include the right seen as extreme and euro-skeptical within the European family, to prevent the ECR Group from growing with even less pro-European forces. It is the only way “to have a moderate right,” Tajani argues. Doing so would also include the European party led by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in the parliamentary games.

Tajani’s and the EPP’s opening to the Conservatives reflects “that there are no alternative majorities” to the one between the Populars, Socialists, and Liberals. The Foreign Minister reiterates that since “the EPP is the party that won the elections while the others lost them,” the Populars are trying to force the hand and dictate the line as much as possible.

So much so that Tajani insists on the EPP leading the European Parliament for the entire legislature. “Personally, I am skeptical about a term of five for the President of the European Council” for a socialist, but “if Costa wants to stay until the end, then Roberta Metsola will also have to do so” at the head of the other institution.

Then there is a question of programs. For the EPP, the Green Deal is not in question, and it could not be otherwise since it is a brand of Ursula von der Leyen, who, because of this effort, got herself elected to Parliament for the first time five years ago. But, Tajani stresses, “We need the path of environmentalist pragmatism, not ideology.” It is a reference to the approach of the European Greens, which does not help work in the legislature that is about to open.