STRASBOURG — The head of the EU’s biggest political family has had a tough week keeping his party under control, with internal divisions on display on everything from climate goals to veggie burgers.
On the day that Ursula von der Leyen faces two votes of no-confidence that could topple her and her Commission, Manfred Weber, leader of the European People’s Party of which von der Leyen is a member, is also under pressure.
Weber is still racking up wins — such as slashing green rules for businesses and pushing the Commission toward a tougher stance on migration — but efforts to satisfy all of his allies (actual and potential) are taking their toll, and this was on full display at the European Parliament plenary session in Strasbourg.
A spokesperson for Manfred Weber did not reply to a request for comment for this article.
In the span of just a few days, the EPP leader was undermined by his colleagues on key green legislation, publicly distanced himself from a food-labeling proposal pushed by parts of his party, and faced internal rebellion over the EU’s 2040 climate targets.
During a tense internal EPP meeting on Wednesday, national delegations from France, Poland, Spain and Italy clashed with Weber and his German allies over how far to water down the EU’s 2040 emissions reduction target, according to two EPP officials who were briefed on the discussions.
The 2040 target is a key part of von der Leyen’s green agenda, which the Germans support, albeit with a slightly lower target than the 90 percent originally proposed by the Commission. The other delegations either want to scrap the target altogether or drastically reduce it.
Faced with a deadlock, the internal deliberations have been frozen until national EU leaders give their input at a European Council meeting in Brussels on Oct. 23, according to the two officials.
Meanwhile, French EPP lawmakers scored a win in the European Parliament by pushing through a ban on the use of meat-related terms such as “burger,” “steak,” or “sausage” for plant-based and lab-grown products — triggering fury from Greens, liberals and Socialists.
But instead of rallying behind the move, Weber distanced itself from it, going as far as to ridicule it.
“That’s not at all a priority,” he said in a Tuesday press conference. “I think we have really other things to do … people are not stupid when they go to the supermarket.”
The week’s biggest blow came ahead of high-stakes talks on Wednesday morning with Socialist leader Iratxe García and Renew chief Valérie Hayer on slashing green corporate reporting rules.
Just before the meeting, Jörgen Warborn, the EPP’s lead negotiator on the issue, sent the other political groups an email, via the Legal Affairs Committee secretariat, which indicated that the EPP had decided to ditch the center left and instead team up with the far right to pass an aggressive simplification package to water down the green business requirements.
While this is a classic political tactic to apply pressure, the move was not approved by Weber. Asked by POLITICO if he coordinated the move with the EPP boss, Warborn said: “No, it was my decision.”
The Socialists were furious and the Weber meeting with García and Hayer ended in acrimony and no agreement.
“While negotiations at leaders’ level were happening, the EPP was presenting compromises with the far right. This is unacceptable and shows the contradictions between EPP at the [European Parliament] and [the] Berlaymont,” said Andrea Macerias, García’s spokesperson.
Warborn’s move worked, however: The Socialists accepted the EPP’s position a few hours later.
Weber is also facing mounting pressure over negotiations on the EU’s long-term budget, as some sections of the EPP are threatening to torpedo a key part of von der Leyen’s plans. The disagreement focuses on pooling agriculture subsidies and funds for Europe’s poorest regions into single pots controlled by national capitals, which critics say would mean less money for farmers and less oversight from local authorities.
Negotiations between the EPP commissioners in charge of the file and EPP MEPs this week, steered by Weber in an attempt to unify the party, have failed to produce a compromise.
Weber, trying to bridge the divide within his party, described this week’s disagreements as “discussing the issues among friends.”