Thierry Breton declares war on Ursula von der Leyen – Liberation

The European Commissioner for the Internal Market, President of the European Commission, the candidate of the EPP, who was pushed by Emmanuel Macron and Renew in 2019, strongly judges his candidacy for his own succession.

Renaissance-leaning Thierry Breton kicked off the European election campaign with a bang by attacking Christian Democrat Ursula von der Leyen. In a tweet published Thursday evening on X, the French commissioner wondered if it was “Is it possible to (re)mand Europe to the EPP (European Conservatives) for another 5 years or 25 years in a row?”. Indeed, the outgoing president of the Commission and now the candidate of the European People’s Party has succeeded in imposing the idea that there is no option for his reappointment. With 90 days to go before the election, Breton felt it was time to make it clear that von der Leyen was not the candidate of Renew or the Socialists, but of the European right, which is becoming radical.

Worse, the European Commissioner for the Internal Market also notes that von der Leyen, 65, “Minority in own party” WHO “Doesn’t feel confident in their candidate” And this, he confidently adds, “despite its merits”… Indeed, during the EPP Congress in Bucharest (Romania), which ended on Thursday, he received only 400 votes out of 801 delegates, participating in only 499 votes. The EPP does not count the same: for it, only 737 representatives had the right to vote for the election.