During the plenary session in Strasbourg, Manfred WEBER (EPP, DE), EPP Group Leader, holds a press conference to present his group's priorities.

debate

plenary session

WEBER, Manfred (EPP, DE)

press conference

European People's Party (Christian Democrats)

Press conference by Manfred WEBER (EPP, DE), EPP Group Leader - EPP Press Briefing

SOUNDBITE (English), Manfred WEBER (EPP, DE), Good morning. So I'm focussing on a few of the current issues for this week. First to the EPP was initiating for tomorrow morning the key debate on in the European Parliament this week and the title is migration. So the the challenges on the migration side.

SOUNDBITE (English), Manfred WEBER (EPP, DE), I have to say we are sleepwalking into another big crisis and numbers are high as they were in 2015 and 16 and nobody talks so much about this. That's why the EPP was initiating this. We have a lot of warning signals. The reception centres in Austria, Germany, Belgium, Netherlands are again full.

SOUNDBITE (English), Manfred WEBER (EPP, DE), I want to underline that we support the people who really need our protection, but the majority of people, especially from the southern roots of towards Europe, are not qualified for a real protection. That's why we have to prioritise the debate again. We need solutions, we need a European debate on this.

SOUNDBITE (English), Manfred WEBER (EPP, DE), I want to welcome the initiatives and the work of the Czech presidency, because on the migration pact and it is about the legal perspective to solving the challenge, we are as close to a solution as we never were before, since 2015. You know, the debate is a long standing debate on European level. And again, Czech presidency made a lot of progress on this. I want to thank them for doing so.

SOUNDBITE (English), Manfred WEBER (EPP, DE), That's why we need the migration pact now. There is a momentum. There is a chance to do so. We have to close it today without a solution on the external border. I have to warn everyone that a free Schengen area is also in danger. That is what we see already in the European debate. That's why let's prioritise this.

SOUNDBITE (English), Manfred WEBER (EPP, DE), The second thing is about this COP 27 in Egypt. I would say that Europe failed to convince China to come to the table as a strong economy. China wants to be a global leader and not anymore a developing country. That means also that they have to contribute to the global challenges in front of us, especially to help the developing countries to overcome the impact of the climate change.

SOUNDBITE (English), Manfred WEBER (EPP, DE), Yes, we keep the 1.5 degrees approach, but there was no progress on China and others to contribute really to the joint common challenges. I also have to say that in this regard, European climate diplomacy failed in a way. And I want to come back to the old standing approach from the EPP that Europe needs a kind of a John Kerry. You know, we have on the American side, John Kerry is a key partner.

SOUNDBITE (English), Manfred WEBER (EPP, DE), He was mentioned in several speeches in Egypt. And we don't have such a figure. We have one responsible vice president who is doing his job, but he has thousands of other jobs as well. So we need one diplomat in every one ambassador for the European ambitions on climate change to go out, to travel around the world and try to convince as much as he can for our approach. So Europe needs an a kind of a John Kerry for our diplomatic activities.

SOUNDBITE (English), Manfred WEBER (EPP, DE), I want to share with you that we are currently negotiating the resolution on Hungary, when it is about the implementation of the conditionality mechanisms, the rule of law mechanism. It was a great success for my party, for the European Parliament as a whole, that we got this mechanism during the MFF negotiations, in the RF negotiations last time.

SOUNDBITE (English), Manfred WEBER (EPP, DE), It is not about punishing Hungary or something like this, it is about protecting our taxpayers interests. That is what we are doing there. We are protecting the interests of our taxpayers all over Europe that we fight against corruption, against misuse of money. That is what we are doing there. And that's why our main idea is that the commission is really based on fact assessment presenting then next week a real good outcome about their assessment.

SOUNDBITE (English), Manfred WEBER (EPP, DE), We are looking forward for this evaluation, for this assessment, and then we can finally judge, but the Parliament will be this week again united amongst all political families to support the power district and a strong implementation of the conditionality mechanism.

SOUNDBITE (English), Manfred WEBER (EPP, DE), And finally, on the legislative moratorium, I want to remind you that the European People's Party is initiating a debate here in the House, that we cannot continue as a Parliament, as legislator, as nothing happens after the 24th of February.

SOUNDBITE (English), Manfred WEBER (EPP, DE), So the war is back in Europe. And that's why for our farmers, for our SMEs, for our industries, we must guarantee that they can overcome this hard winter in front of us. That is what we want to initiate. Let's find all legislative fields again we cannot continue as nothing has happened. That's why we ask for a moratorium on additional legislative, bureaucratic burden for our SMEs, for our farmers, especially for the farmers.

SOUNDBITE (English), Manfred WEBER (EPP, DE), I have to remind you that we are running into a risk of a of a shortage of of food on a global level for next year.That's why our message to the farmers is, please produce food. Please produce food also for helping North Africa the rest of the world to feed the people. So there are four points I want to mention. From an EP point of view for this parliamentary week.

Q&A Regarding the resolution vote on Russia being a sponsor State of terrorism and the consequences after the resolution vote.

Q&A Regarding the European commerce, companies trading with Russia and their consequences after the resolution.

Q&A Regarding ongoing air strikes in Turkey being a war crime.

Q&A Regarding the situation in Iran today and a tougher approach of the EU.

Press conference by Manfred WEBER (EPP, DE), EPP Group Leader - EPP Press Briefing

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