In light of the ongoing process of the Commissioner hearings, the Socialists and Democrats Group in the European Parliament states:

The vote on the next European Commission college is today at stake.

Under the irresponsible behaviour of their group leader Manfred Weber, the conservative European People’s Party (EPP) broke the historic pro-European, democratic agreement between conservative, social democrat, and liberal groups in this house.

In July 2024, we voted for Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on the basis of a pro-European, democratic majority.

In recent days, we have seen that the EPP’s leadership is willing to risk the stability of the European Institutions amid a challenging geopolitical climate.

The EPP’s leadership has broken the political agreement of the pro-European democratic forces in the European Parliament for the sake of a destructive Spanish Partido Popular agenda attacking Executive Vice-President-designate Teresa Ribera. The Spanish Partido Popular is trying to make Teresa Ribera the scapegoat for their failure to manage the most catastrophic floods in Europe’s recent history, resulting in more than 200 fatalities, and has effectively taken the EPP hostage, pushing the entire European Union to the brink in the most irresponsible way.

The EPP will have to explain to the citizens of Europe why they broke the historic pro-European majority and whether they really want to side with far-right populists.

The future of Europe is in our hands. We are ready to assume our responsibility and act in the pro-European interest for the citizens who put their trust in us in the elections. It is up to the EPP to explain where they stand.