Were you cheated of your victory, Mr. Weber?

Manfred Weber was about to face the elections by the European Parliament as a candidate for head of the European Commission. But the representatives of the member states in the European Council did not nominate him in the end.

BILD met him in Strasbourg and wanted to learn more about his disappointment and his feelings about the new candidate Ursula von der Leyen.

BILD: Mr. Weber, how do you explain to your voters that it is not you – the winner of the election – who is nominated for head of the European Commission, but Ursula von der Leyen?

Manfred Weber: “I’m having a hard time explaining this. It can hardly be explained. I can only tell my voters: there were influential powers who did not want to accept the election result. There were back-room talks and late-night meetings in which the axis Macron-Orban got its way and dismantled the frontrunner principle. Given how this went, I can say: This is not the Europe that I envision. In future, I will continue to fight for the democratization of the EU.”

BILD: Were you cheated of your victory?

Weber: “I’m very disappointed, that’s for sure. As a politician, you know that you can win or lose elections. But I wouldn’t have expected Emmanuel Macron and Viktor Orban to just discard the election result.”

BILD: Why is Macron against you?

Weber: “You’ll have to ask him. We were in touch, but he never told me personally that he was against me. The argument that has now been put forward – that I have no executive experience – is absurd. A third of all current European heads of government had no previous executive experience. President Macron himself had only a little experience. The voters were supposed to decide about the qualification, and nobody else.””

BILD: Did you think about throwing in the towel?

Weber: “In a dispute like this, it’s normal to think about what you can, and are willing to, take. At the same time, this here is Champions League – so you have to be able to take a blow. Giving up is not an issue for me. I’m burning for the European idea.”

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BILD: But your work over the past months – all for nothing! What kind of reactions do you get?

Weber: “Many people are vexed and disappointed. And the feedback is clear: parties have candidates – and in the end, everything is different. How can that be?

But for me, there is no doubt: this is not just about persons, after all, but about our policy. Due to the election victory that we have achieved as the EPP, we can implement our aims. There is also the opportunity, after 60 years, to elect a German as the President of the European Commission who is absolutely suitable for that office. This is good, even though I personally am, understandably, disillusioned. I will support Ursula von der Leyen.”

BILD: Was this Orban’s revenge, because you took a clear position in the process of excluding his party from the EPP?

Weber: “It’s clearly the case that this was a riposte by Viktor Orban because I said that the restrictions of fundamental rights in Hungary are not acceptable. But regardless of what Orban has done now – I would always make the same decision. I stand by my values and will not give them up in order to build my career.”

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BILD: Were you surprised that Orban and Macron worked together, and, in the end, Chancellor Merkel also agreed?

Weber: “I explicitly exclude the Chancellor from this. The constellation was surprising, since Macron’s election campaign was directed against Orban, in particular. Macron said: Vote for my Europe, not for that of Orban. And suddenly they cooperate and do damage to democratic Europe. Now we are facing a shambles.”

BILD: Are you mad at the Chancellor for turning against you?

Weber: “We have always closely coordinated over the past months. Chancellor Merkel must make compromises and must be able to act. I completely understand that. The fact that, in the end, she supports a German President of the Commission, is also entirely logical and correct.”

BILD: What did Merkel tell you as to why it can’t be you?

Weber: “She has the same analysis as I do. We were in a constant dialogue, after all.”

BILD: How do you see the role of the European Parliament?

Weber: “Some people in the European Parliament have contributed quite a bit to harming democratic Europe. The fact that the Social Democrats and the Liberals have ruled out electing a democratic competitor has questioned the basic consensus between us. Personal attacks of this kind were, so far, only made by populists. I am concerned whether the previous rules of the game for the cooperation between democrats will still apply.”

BILD: Are you worried that Ursula von der Leyen might lose the vote in parliament?

Weber: “Her nomination has surprised many people in parliament, but her first appearance was perceived positively. She is a European to the core. Her entire biography shows that. She knows international politics – and she is a convinced Christian Democrat. She has good chances for a majority, but it is a rocky road.”

BILD: What’s next for you?

Weber: “First I have to collect myself, but I will continue to serve a strong and citizen-oriented Europe that stands up for its values.”