Romania is a key country that could balance political majorities in the European Parliament, EPP Secretary General Antonio López-Istúriz said in an interview for Calea Europeană. Asked on the EPP plans for the upcoming European elections, Lopez underlined the importance of talking to citizens about major issues in a „simplified language”.
„We speak about things that are affecting them (n.r. the citizens) today, questions like immigration, security, jobs and economy, things that everybody is thinking about. So instead of speaking about complicated European treaties or laws, we want to simplify the language, make it more adaptable to the social reality nowadays, that we become defenders of the European Union in a language that is understood by everybody, that is the principle aim of EPP”, Lopez said.
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Asked on who is their main political competitor, Lopez said that he considers it to be „his duty” to explain to people that choose to vote for populists that they only ask questions, without offering answers to the citizens. The biggest threat is „ourselves, if we are not capable of translating to our voters what are the good things about the EU”.
„I am not a politician that considers that I have enemies around; even people that vote for the populist parties or have extreme options, I don’t consider them enemies or guilty. My duty is to convince them to vote again, for our options which are the most reasonable, which want to work for the European project. It is very easy to be on the populistic side for politicians, but not for people who are voting for them because they are searching for answers to beat questions. We have to be capable to regain them because they have gone through very difficult situations, especially people that have been left without jobs or that have suffered for many reasons. We have to be capable to regain them to the European Union”, Lopez said.
„I think in the end, Brexit will be a setback for the populists”
„Time will say if this was a big victory. I want to see the real effect, next year, of Brexit, on the UK. I think that is going to be tougher than they expect and now that they are realising it, many of them, many Brexiteers resigned from their positions after the referendum, scared because they knew perfectly well what are the bad consequences of leaving the European Union for the UK. I think, in the end, it will be a setback for the populists”, said the EPP official on Brexit.
„It’s always the same: populists create the problem and then it’s up to us to find the solutions”
The MEP criticised the politicians that pleaded for Brexit, saying that the populists later ran when facing the consequences of their actions, leaving the problems to the European institutions.
„So it’s always the same: populists create the problem and then it’s us to find the solutions. Where are the solutions from the populists? Where are the solutions of Boris Johnson for the situation created? no, he quitted. He ran away – these are the populists’ solutions. When they are confronted with the reality, they leave. When they want to criticize, they are first. It is very easy in politics to criticize, I can do it tomorrow morning, and we have to be auto critical with the European Union institutions, of course we are in a continuing reform process and we have to do so. It is not a perfect system, but you have to do the fight from inside, not the outside. The least brave thing to do is to go outside, the brave thing is to stay inside and try to change things for the better security of our people”, Secretary General said.
„Brexit is going to happen”, but it is early, at this point, to say what kind of influence it will have on the European elections Lopez said.
„We’ll see afterwards what are the consequences, very bad ones for the United Kingdom. My worry is 400.000 Romanians living in the UK and working there, that is my worry now, and the 300.000 Spanish, also. This is what I have to worry about, the rest is for them. They are leaving? Ok, goodbye, it’s us 27 that we have to worry about and our citizens also living there”, EPP official added.
„800 delegates from all around Europe will elect the EPP candidate for President of the European Commission”
„Both candidates are great, the deadline is still open so I can not tell you if this is a close list”, Lopez said, adding that the deadline „it is on the 17th of October, next week at noon”. „Meanwhile, these two officials have presented their candidatures – Manfred Weber and Alex Stubb. And they both have fantastic curriculums, very well known European national and also local politicians in their countries and in the regions which both of them have great postures in campaigning in Europe and it is the Congress. 800 delegates from all around Europe, from our member parties, in the case of Romania from PNL, that will decide at the end who will be our candidate for becoming the next president of the European Commission if the EPP has a good score during the European elections.
„That promise will be accomplished”, Lopez said, asked on a statement from the EPP regarding a future presence of the EPP’s lead candidate (Spitzenkandidat) in Romania, during our presidency of the Council of the European Union. „Romania is a fundamental country and our PNL party for us, here in Brussels. So it is going to be, I am sure, a presence of the candidate in Romania during the campaign. (…) Romania, electorally speaking, is a key country that could balance majorities or not in the European Parliament and we are taking very seriously our roles, our friends”.
„Who best to speak about Europe than mayors, local counselors, regional ministers or politicians? Or members of the European Parliament. Because the are hundreds of political positions and on local and regional they have direct contact with the citizens everyday. It is better that they speak about Europe and explain Europe much better than I can do it. Because I am a European politician (…) And I believe that people who speak the same language and have the same culture have to translate the European ideals to the people. And I am very respectful of that, that is why I believe in the principle of subsidiarity which means that local politicians are the ones doing this job for the European Union.”, Lopez said regarding the EPP Local Dialogue Series.
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