The power struggle over the next European Commission has left the European Parliament mired in distrust. international

“She will be left with scars,” a German conservative MEP predicted of Teresa Ribera, even before the very hard-fought campaign by her party, the European People’s Party (EPP), for her confirmation as vice-president. Started making every effort to derail it. The next European Commission. What the lawmaker with a long career probably did not realize was that the wounds of that battle would not be limited to the Spanish socialist, who is still vice-president of the government of Pedro Sánchez. The tough, long and often messy battle of the past week and a half in Brussels has left a deep trail of distrust and discomfort in the European Parliament, placing the future of the European Executive in doubt at a very turbulent time on the international scene. This will continue even when the process of ratifying commissioners becomes no more than an anecdote.

“Given the world situation, Ukraine needs our help more than ever and while Donald Trump is announcing a government in which he seems most logical, it is time for us to focus on taking up our responsibilities at the European level. Should and should do so.” “European ships navigate these turbulent waters as best they can,” German Green MEP Hanna Neumann said angrily. “That Manfred Weber and his European People’s Party (EPP) have created a show “So many absurdities around Teresa Ribera seem disqualifying to me,” the MEP criticized on Thursday, just before entering the chamber meeting and a few meters away from the popular Dolores Montserrat, in an effort to overthrow the Spanish socialist’s candidacy. One of the key pieces.

Although this effort has failed, much has been achieved, starting with trust, a key element based on the agreements and negotiations in Brussels. The hangover of this process has led to (or deepened) deep divisions not only between political structures, but also within the groups themselves – and some consider them irreparable. This sentiment was evident this Thursday in the European Parliament which was already packing its bags for next week’s Strasbourg plenary session, where the final ratification of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s entire new team is still pending. Points and glances of anger or disbelief at what many considered an unnecessary and very harmful spectacle or game were exchanged in the European Chamber, where legislators, despite being from different parties, generally agreed with each other. They greeted each other, changing their speed to avoid meeting each other.

“Breach of emotional consent”

The situation in the European Parliament has been so tense in recent days that the most experienced and knowledgeable in its corridors spoke this Thursday of a “breakdown of emotional consensus”. Something never seen before, he insisted. One of the few things that the different political factions agree on after these days of bitter negotiations is that the axis that traditionally drives European law, made up of socialists and populists, is greatly affected by this. , They warn that trust has been broken and will be very difficult to restore.

Irtex García, leader of the Socialists and Democrats (S&D), one of the main protagonists of last week’s fight, admitted this Thursday, “In any negotiation, moments of tension are very high and those that clearly cause it to break.” , But knowing that what is at stake is much more than the commission’s appointments, since the legislature still has five years left, he qualified his analysis: “If the end result is compromise, it is because we Everyone knows that we have to lose and gain trust and what we said yesterday (Wednesday) is that we want to continue working together. ‘ he told a group of journalists.

But García himself, to achieve this agreement, had to overcome difficult discussions and criticism within his own group, above all from French and German socialists, who were particularly allergic to anything that had been criticized by the extreme right just three months earlier. Is seen as an agreement with. Early general elections in their country. Nor does everyone in the EPP view Weber’s strong coalition with the Spanish Popular Party against Ribera favourably. The split also troubles Renewed liberals and the Greens, who believe the confirmation process has created strong internal divisions. Something that could be evident in the voting at the Strasbourg plenary session of the Team of Commissioners as a whole.

The analysis of a former legislator who visits the European Parliament from time to time is that the underlying problem is that the “change of era” brought about by the European elections in June has not yet been accepted. The extreme right did not go as far as had been predicted, but it nevertheless gained enough strength to become a player with the necessary weight to create a majority separate from the pro-European majority that had until now set the pace of the EU Parliament. .

He recalls that the extreme right “was until now a marginal actor which – with the EPP – has become decisive by being able to create an alternative majority to the traditional pro-Europeans”. Something that has already been seen beyond the Commissioner process: conservatives have sought the support of the extreme right to carry out initiatives that have not received the support of their traditional center and progressive allies, such as a resolution on Venezuela (then This is from) what is known as the Venezuelan coalition or majority) or, these days, some legislative changes in environmental regulations, deforestation laws.

All this while the executive body, the Commission, also leans to the right: there are more Commissioners than ever from the European People’s Party and this would already mean a clear majority in the College of Commissioners. The same happens in the Council and, although it is not such a comfortable majority, the room for maneuver is much larger for the traditional conservatives, as they can swing the majority to their right or left. “There is a possibility of a roller,” community sources explain, and the temptation to look to the right will be repeated when the math on the other side won’t work.