Germany’s leading candidates spar over combustion engines in first election debate – Euractiv

In the thick of Germany’s first EU election debate on Thursday (May 30), Manfred Weber, president of the centre-right European People’s Party (EPP), struggled to reconcile his opposition to an EU ban on internal combustion engines with his support for European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who did not take part in the debate.

Webber took part in a debate hosted by the broadcaster German TV 2as the leading candidate of his national party, the Bavarian state party CSU (EPP), along with seven other leading candidates in Germany.

Participants discussed three topics, including foreign policy and immigration, with the debate over climate policy sparking the most controversy.

The Christian Social Union and its national sister party the Christian Democratic Union (CDU/EPP) are leading in the polls, notably Election Reverse the EU’s de facto ban on the sale of cars with internal combustion engines from 2035.

The policy was adopted under the leadership of Ursula von der Leyen, the leading candidate of the European People’s Party and the Christian Democratic Union.

“If we have a majority in the next European Parliament, we will allow cars with combustion engines on the roads again. (The ban) is a serious industrial policy mistake,” Weber reiterated, alluding to Germany’s powerful car industry.

Despite this, he insisted that his party was “the Green Deal, led by Ursula von der Leyen”.

“But we still won’t accept everything that’s presented to us,” he added.

Other participants were quick to point out the inconsistency.

Terry Reintke of the Green Party implored Weber to “break the conflict between climate policy and competitiveness” while accusing him of “stabbing his own commission president in the back”.

“I would advise Ms von der Leyen to change parties. I think it would be better for her to stay with the Greens,” said Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, the lead candidate for the liberal FDP (Renewal Party), citing the EPP’s mixed voting record on environmental issues.

In one particularly heated segment, Weber spent 40 seconds talking to the host, Katarina Barley, the leading candidate for the Social Democratic Party (SPD), in which he lambasted the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party for its green policies, while Barley repeatedly sighed, “Man …”

Von der Leyen absent

But despite being the CDU’s official leading candidate, von der Leyen abstained.

The European Commission president has also refused to run for parliament and will not appear on any ballot papers, a move Strack-Zimmermann called “deeply undemocratic” during the debate.

“While we were campaigning, von der Leyen was touring Europe, collecting votes (from EU leaders),” she said.

The emotional debate on the “internal combustion engine ban” also seems a bit cold, the survey results show release said on Thursday that peace and social security are the most important election issues in Germany.

These topics are expected to determine the choices of nearly half of voters, while climate protection and economic growth only interest 14% and 13% of voters respectively.

Russia’s war in Ukraine was discussed in the debate, but security policy remains outside the EU’s strict remit, which was highlighted in the exchanges.

When Weber was asked how he would deal with the slow pace of weapons deliveries, he replied: “(Build up) European capabilities in this area.”

(Nick Alipour | Euractiv.de)

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