Teresa Ribera condemns EPP for infusing EU with domestic politics, climate denial

Newly elected European Commissioner Teresa Ribera criticised the public outcry she received from the European People's Party, which almost brought down her candidacy for the position as executive vice-president for the Clean, Just and Competitive Transition, speaking to Radio Schuman in Strasbourg.

She lamented domestic politics being infused into the EU debate and criticised climate deniers among the centre-right European People's Party (EPP).

Yesterday, EPP leaders, including chair Manfred Weber, refused to applaud Ribera when European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen congratulated her in plenary in Strasbourg. This gesture was the culmination of a campaign led by the Spanish Partido Popular (PP) aimed at undermining Ribera, who until recently served as Spain’s Minister for Ecological Transition and was responsible for responding to the recent floods in Valencia. Ribera defended herself, stating that the regional government—controlled by the PP in Valencia—was responsible for managing disasters.

Eventually, von der Leyen received final approval for her new Commission, which will begin its five-year legislative term on December 1st.

However, with 370 votes in favour, this marked the narrowest majority in history for a new Commission. The outcome reflects a deeply fragmented European Parliament, which grants the leading EPP even greater flexibility in forming shifting alliances—either with the traditional socialist-liberal bloc, or with the right-wing European and Conservatives and Reformists group (ECR) and the far-right Patriots for Europe (PfE).

Following the vote on Wednesday, there were clear concerns among socialists, greens, and other left-wing parties. They feared that the EPP had legitimised the far-right, particularly with von der Leyen's decision to appoint a far-right commissioner, Raffaele Fitto, for the first time in its history. There were also worries that a right-wing coalition could paralyse or derail critical legislation, such as the Green Deal or migration reforms.

Besides Ribera, Radio Schuman today featured criticism from other MEPs, such as Marie Toussaint, a French Green MEP, who called the new von der Leyen's team as the “worst-elected Commission”.

In the second segment of the podcast, we take a quick look at the Competitiveness Council meeting happening today, where EU ministers are expected to approve conclusions on a crucial topic. Guess what that might be?

Radio Schuman wraps up with a ranking of countries most prepared to go cashless - spoiler alert: the top contenders are chilly climes!

Radio Schuman is hosted and produced by Maïa de la Baume, with journalist and production assistant Eleonora Vasques, audio editing by Zacharia Vigneron, Georgios Leivaditis and David Brodheim. Music by Alexandre Jas.

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