Manfred Weber, President of the European People’s Party, to which, among others, Civic Coalition (KO) and the Polish People’s Party (PSL) belong, stated that the roles of the head of the European Commission and the European Council should be merged. “The Germans believe that if the central authority of European institutions is strengthened, German influence will increase accordingly,” Prof. Ryszard Legutko told Gazeta Polska Codziennie.
On Wednesday, an economic forum took place in Brussels, where one of the speakers was Manfred Weber, leader of the European People’s Party (EPP). The German politician stated, among other things, that the positions of President of the European Commission and President of the European Council should be combined so that “the EU can speak with one voice on the international stage.” He also argued that such changes could come into force after the next European elections in 2029 and that amending the treaties would not be necessary to implement them. Moreover, Weber did not rule out the possibility that he himself would run for the position of “super-president.”
We asked Prof. Ryszard Legutko, a former Member of the European Parliament, for comment on the matter.
“Despite his position, Manfred Weber is a political failure. He very much wanted to become President of the European Commission, but he did not succeed. His main achievement is leading the EPP, even when Tusk formally chaired it, Weber was in fact the one in control,”
assessed Prof. Legutko.
“Merging the roles of the heads of the European Commission and the European Council is impossible without amending the treaties, unless once again left-liberal circles intend to disregard them. If this idea were to gain broader support, and it is clear that this reflects German ambitions, it would mean the complete marginalization of smaller states. This system already suffers from extreme inequality. Just consider how strong a coalition must be assembled to outweigh an agreement among just a few of the most powerful states,”
the expert said.
He also added that “Germany is pushing so hard for these changes because of its poor internal situation.”
“They believe that if the central authority of European institutions is strengthened, German influence will increase accordingly, which would help mask the economic and civilizational crisis we are observing in Germany,”
Prof. Ryszard Legutko concluded.