Manfred Weber, the leader of the European People’s Party (EPP) and a member of the Christian Social Union (CSU), sharply dismissed allegations that he had cooperated with the Alternative for Germany (AfD) in the European Parliament. “The firewall is important and it stands firm” he told the newspapers of the Bayern Media Group. “The AfD opposes everything I fight for politically”. Weber said the EPP needs no “reprimands” referring to the Greens’ vote against the entry into force of Mercosur, a decision that was passed with AfD support.
“We have no influence from the AfD on our content nor on majority formation in Europe. That has been true in the past and will remain so in the future” Weber added. No one wants a connection with the AfD in Brussels. In reference to comments made by Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) and CSU leader Markus Söder in recent days, he said, “I fully agree with Friedrich Merz and, by the way, also with Markus Söder”.
Weber called for a hard stance against the AfD. “Today we must make it clear with absolute clarity and firmness that behind the AfD’s façade the neo‑Nazis around Björn Höcke set the tone” the EPP chairman asserted. “These people hate our liberal‑democratic core principles and embody the dull nationalism that has already brought so much suffering across Europe”.
He also urged his own party to take decisive action. “Simply marginalizing the AfD will not be enough. Yes, we need courage for a vision again” Weber said. He reminded that the CSU’s best times were those of “bold, historic leadership”. “That is why I am now advocating for a European army and a common foreign policy without veto power” he explained.
