EPP: a steady hand for Europe

Mr. President, how do you think the EPP Congress in Warsaw next week will affect the campaign for the upcoming European elections?
 -Our Congress is an important moment for our political family. Over 3000 delegates, activists, journalists, and guests, will be there. All of our Prime Ministers, Commissioners, party leaders, and parliamentarians will be there. In Warsaw, we will approve our election Manifesto which addresses five main policy themes that are relevant for all Europeans. This event will also mark the official launching of our electoral campaign; a campaign that we expect to be victorious.

What are the main themes of your campaign Manifesto?
-For our horizontal, Europewide campaign we decided to focus on policy themes that resonate in each and every Member State of the European Union. These are: 1. Creating Prosperity for Everyone, where we present concrete solutions to the current global economic crisis based on the principles of the social market economy; 2. Making Europe a Safer Place, where we deal with issues such as organised crime and terrorism; 3. Combating Climate Change, and how to tackle today’s environmental challenges; 4. Tackling the Demographic Challenge, where we offer solutions to Europe’s aging societies, and 5. Uniting Europe on the World Stage, where we present our vision for a common foreign policy approach.

Why should European voters choose the EPP rather than the European Socialists, particularly since the centre-right is being blamed for the economic crisis?

-This is myth that the Socialists have tried to fabricate but it has now started to back-fire. Despite the crisis, citizens do not want Europe and its Member States to become super-interventionist and over-regulated. Whereas the Socialists in Europe see this crisis as an opportunity to push for a backward Leftist agenda which will destroy jobs and Europe’s position in the world, we are convinced that our vision of a Social Market Economy is the best response to the crisis. Our positions are distinctly different from the ideological leftist approach of the Socialists, but they also differ fundamentally from the position of market fundamentalists who believe that markets alone should rule the world. Thus, the EPP is the European political voice of moderation and responsibility.

So do you think that in the middle of the global economic crisis the EPP will actually win the European elections in June?
-I am absolutely convinced that we will win. People trust our political movement and are looking for a “steady hand” in this difficult moment. They are rejecting the regurgitated formulas of the left. Apart from the European elections, I would like to remind you that EPP currently has 13 out of the 27 heads of state and government in the European Union and our prospects also look very good in Bulgaria and Hungary since the Socialist governments there have failed miserably.

 Is the EPP supporting Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso for re-election?
-Of course we are supporting President Barroso and we even made an official statement at the EPP Summit last month. He belongs to our political family and it’s the EPP that originally proposed him in 2004, after we won again the European elections. This time around you have to take into account his successful 5-year-term as Commission President; because of this success, Jose Manuel Barroso now has a broad appeal in all the main political families. He has even been endorsed by the Spanish, Portuguese, and British Prime Ministers who all belong to the Party of European Socialists.

What are the prospects for the ratification of the Lisbon Treaty?
-It all depends on Ireland; I hope that in the new referendum later this year the Irish people will come to realize that it’s a good Treaty for Ireland and for Europe. Polls are showing that people there are becoming more positive towards the Treaty and it’s partly due to the economic crisis. They are recognising that the EU has been an important factor in alleviating the impact of the crisis on Ireland. I truly hope that the Treaty will be ratified this year; we need move-on and start dealing with the many complex challenges that we face today as a result of the crisis. We cannot waste any more time or energy on institutional matters.

What message would you like to send to European citizens?
-In June, the citizens of the European Union will vote for the European Parliament at a crucial moment for Europe. European integration is the greatest achievement in the history of our continent. It has brought not only peace, freedom and stability to our continent, but also an era of understanding, cooperation and unprecedented prosperity.
In the past, the need for peace brought the peoples of Europe together. Today, a number of problems require both close cooperation on European level and a strong Europe in the world: the current crisis in the financial markets and a severe worldwide recession, the fight against climate change, our ageing societies as well as terrorism and organised crime.
Only a strong Europe will be able to defend and protect our interests in the world. Only a strong Europe will be able to create a more stable global financial system and tackle the other global problems which also deeply affect European citizens. Only a strong EPP can deliver the right polices and achieve the right results. We are ready for the challenge and we hope that Europeans will offer us once again their trust.