“Manfred has made the EPP stronger than ever,” said Swedish lead lawmaker Tomas Tobé.
For Weber, who spent much of his career as a member of the European Parliament and who was slighted by the bloc’s leaders in 2019 when gunning for the job of leading the EU executive, a second term will cement his power on the EU stage.
For the EPP it’s also a step toward consolidating power across the EU’s key institutions, especially with a proposal for party reform, obtained by POLITICO, scheduled for ratification at the Valencia congress.
“While party politics has been a connector between the institutions, there was never such clear dominance of one of the parties across all the institutions … for Weber that is a great chance,” said Sophia Russack, researcher at the Centre of European Policy Studies.
Weber’s time to shine — or not
Despite a major challenge last year from another EPP power player, Greek Secretary General Thanasis Bakolas, Weber will likely be reappointed with a sweeping majority.
The naysayers include the Greeks, who support Bakolas, and the Spaniards, who are still sore about Weber’s approving Spain’s pick of Socialist Teresa Ribera for commissioner. For them the EPP president has some bargaining chips, one party official noted.
