There is an alternative to the far right in European elections taking place next week, the Party of European Socialists (PES) lead candidate, Nicholas Schmit, emphasized in an interview with the European Newsroom (enr).
The Luxembourg politician hit out at the European People’s Party (EPP) for not ruling out cooperation with the extreme right after the elections, as other political groupings in the European Parliament had done.
No room for hateful rhetoric
The EPP is the largest grouping in the European Parliament and the party of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen who is in the race for a second term.
The Socialists and Democrats (S&D) - a grouping which the PES is part of in the European Parliament - currently has 139 members in the EU legislative chamber, making it the second largest.
Schmit, the current European commissioner for jobs and social rights, is cautious but optimistic about his party’s prospects a week before the start of the European elections.
“If we keep the same [number of] seats, it will be fair, but I think we could still win a few more,” said Schmit, who is in the race to become the next European Commission president.
Speaking to enr on Wednesday, the 70-year-old politician declined, however, to reveal any of his political group’s strategy to be part of the leadership of the European Union’s institutions or the commission portfolios they hope to hold.
He warned of an “imbalance” that the second-largest European party will have a minority number of commissioners because it is not a member of enough governments in the EU.
Alternative to the far right
With the election campaign drawing to a close, the Socialists will focus on showing voters that their party has ideas and projects in contrast to the far right, he said.
Schmit added it was vital to inform the widest possible circle of voters not to support parties that promote hateful rhetoric.
When asked about the recent shooting of Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico and attacks on German politicians, he said that over the last years, there has been discourse of mainly – but not only – extreme right forces which does not respect “a certain level of dignity."
He added: “If you see this kind of discourse developing, the next step will be physical violence and that’s where we are now.”
EPP is no long a "Christian Democratic force"
The Socialists, together with the Liberals, the Left and the Greens, recently condemned the violence in a joint statement and pledged not to cooperate with far-right parties after the elections.
The EPP did not sign this statement, and the EPP's leading candidate, von der Leyen, does not exclude the possibility of cooperation with the extreme right.
“The fact that they didn’t sign is a real shock for me," Schmit said, "because the Christian Democrats I know were among the fathers – and mothers, if I also take [former German chancellor] Angela Merkel in there – of the European integration process.
"Now they do not exclude alliances with those who are fundamentally against this project of Europe.
“The EPP is not anymore the Christian Democratic force that contributed to the deepening of integration.
"It has become a conservative party which does not exclude opening to the extreme right. This is a fact and this is a responsibility they take which is huge,” Schmit stated.
Schmit added that Christian Democratic politicians such as Konrad Adenauer, first chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, and Alcide De Gasperi, first prime minister of the Italian Republic, must “turn in their graves.”
Both are regarded, among others, as founding fathers of the European Union.
Meloni: a "wolf in sheep's clothing"
Schmit believes that there is no decent extreme right in the EU, as some describe the party of European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR), headed by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
“Madame Meloni has, up until now, played a more moderate game in the [European] Council [..] but what she is doing in Italy shows that she is still the same, she has not changed,” he said, adding that “it’s not this kind of transformation that – oh, now, Madame Meloni has become a great democrat and she has really broken with the fascist past of her party and herself.”
Schmit recalled that the Italian had said that she was bringing the revolution she was enacting in Italy to Europe.
In Italy, Meloni has started with restrictions on abortion, controlling the public media and fewer rights for the LGTBIQ+ community, he warned.
“So, is this a person I can really trust to share the same fundamental view on the future of Europe? It’s to laugh [at],” said Schmit who later called Meloni a “wolf in sheep’s clothing.”
Von derLeyen's management criticised
During the interview, Schmit also referred to the controversy over the migration agreements signed between the EU and Tunisia to outsource the management of migration.
He criticized the fact that, beyond the questionable content, von der Leyen gave the members of the commission only an hour on a Friday afternoon to give their opinion on the pact.
“Madame Meloni was better informed than me,” said Schmit.
EU Enlargement: Focus on process not specific dates
The EU must handle further expansion in Eastern Europe and in the Western Balkans after the European elections, Schmit said.
Schmit emphasized the importance of focusing on the enlargement process itself rather than setting specific dates for countries to become members, as this could create unrealistic expectations and potential disappointments.
The commissioner said that he was hoping the process could be accelerated and managed better, adding that the commission had made proposals for the enlargement process which should “be more dynamic, more step by step, more progressive.”
On the subject of EU membership candidate Georgia, which recently passed a controversial legislation on foreign influence, Schmit said that the country should not be prevented from entering the union.
However, it must be made clear that the adoption of this law is not in line with the efforts for EU membership.
“Georgia shows clearly what geopolitical situation we are [in]. It also shows very clearly that Russia has not given up to dominate, to create turmoil and to limit the sovereignty of what Russia considers its close neighbourhood,” Schmit said further.
Schmit: Israeli response to Hamas attacks “disproportionate”
When asked about the current situation in Israel and Gaza, Schmit called not “to question what happened on October 7 which has been a terrible crime” while acknowledging that the Israeli response is “absolutely disproportionate."
He pointed out that in addition to not respecting international law, it even goes beyond the rules of war.
Regarding this week’s trip to Israel by European Commissioner for Enlargement Oliver Várhelyi, Schmit said that “continuing to talk, to visit and to exchange is always important.”
He added that “it’s not by silence that you will reach anything.”