German lead candidates clash on combustion engine in first election debate

In the most heated moments of the first German EU election debate on Thursday (30 May), centre-right European People’s Party (EPP) chief Manfred Weber was at pains to reconcile his opposition to the EU’s combustion-engine ban with his support for Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who did not take part.

Weber participated in the debate, hosted by broadcaster ZDF, as the lead candidate of his national party, the Bavarian regional party CSU (EPP), alongside seven fellow German lead candidates.

Attendants discussed three topics, including foreign policy and migration, with the debate surrounding climate policy eliciting the most controversy.

The CSU and its national sister party, Christian Democrats (CDU/EPP), which are leading polls, are notably campaigning to reverse the EU’s de facto ban on the sale of cars with internal combustion engines from 2035.

The policy had been passed under von der Leyen, the EPP and CDU lead candidate.

“If we have the majorities in the next European Parliament, we will permit combustion-engine cars again. [The ban] was a serious industrial policy mistake,” Weber reiterated, alluding to Germany’s strong car industry.

Nevertheless, he insisted that his party was “the Green Deal party with Ursula von der Leyen at the helm.”

“But we still don’t swallow everything that is presented to us,” he added.

Other participants were quick to point out contradictions.

The Greens’ Terry Reintke pleaded with Weber to “break the conflict between climate policy and competitiveness” while accusing him of “stabbing your own Commission president in the back.”

“I would recommend that Ms von der Leyen change parties. I think she would be better off with the Greens,” noted Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, lead candidate of the liberal FDP (Renew), referencing the EPP’s mixed environmental voting record.

In a particularly heated sequence, Weber talked over SPD (S&D) lead candidate Katarina Barley and the hosts for 40 seconds as he berated the far-right AfD for its green policy while Barley repeatedly sighed, “Men…”

Von der Leyen absent

However, von der Leyen abstained from participating despite being the CDU’s official lead candidate.

The Commission president has also declined to run for parliament and will not feature on any ballots, which Strack-Zimmermann called “deeply undemocratic” during the debate.

“While we are campaigning, von der Leyen is touring Europe to collect [EU leaders’] votes,” she said.

The emotional debate on the ‘combustion-engine ban’ also appeared somewhat detached, as survey results published on Thursday indicated that peace and social security are the most important election issues in Germany.

The topics are projected to determine the choices of nearly half of voters, while climate protection and economic growth merely interest 14% and 13%, respectively.

Russia’s war in Ukraine was addressed during the debate, but security policy remains outside the EU’s strict area of competence, which showed prominently in the exchanges.

When Weber was pressed on how he would counter the slow pace of weapon deliveries, he replied: “[Instating] European competencies in this area.”

(Nick Alipour | Euractiv.de)

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