2024-04-20 04:07:21
The EU election in June is a choice between a strong Europe and Austria or a Europe that becomes the plaything of other powers. This is what the top candidate of the European Social Democrats (SPE/PES) and current EU Social Commissioner Nicolas Schmit says in an interview with the APA. He sees himself as the candidate of working people and hopes that his party family will become the leading force in Europe.
“If you go into these EU elections as a strong European party, then you go into the elections to win them,” says the Luxembourg politician. Schmit admits that social democracy is traditionally anchored in the working class, even if this has not been so clear in the recent past. “It is important to improve this connection once more.”
He does not see climate policy on the one hand and social and economic policy on the other as contradicting each other. It is an “idiocy” to say that we can take a break when it comes to climate. “If we succeed in the green transition, then we will create better jobs, safer jobs. (…) If we don’t do that, then we will be overwhelmed.” Other regions such as the USA or China would now invest massively in technologies that would dominate in the future. “Europe must continue to produce steel, of course CO2-free,” adds Schmit. “Firstly, because nothing would be gained for the climate if it were produced somewhere else, and secondly, we would become totally dependent in a key area such as steel.”
The same applies to agriculture. Nevertheless, efforts towards climate neutrality must also be made in the agricultural sector. “By definition, agriculture only works on the basis of a natural environment that is favorable for production. If there are more heatwaves, water shortages and storms – all the things that come with climate change – then it will be impossible in Europe to have a strong to develop agriculture.” It is also not the measures of the Green Deal that are causing so much trouble for farmers. Rather, the supply chain is such that farmers get almost nothing for their products – while costs are rising at the same time. In addition, the politics are sometimes too bureaucratic.
For this reason, the confrontation with right-wing extremists is fundamental. “This is not an election for Europe, this is the departure of Europe,” Schmit warned of votes for the far-right parties. This doesn’t just apply to the climate issue. Europe is also under economic, political and security pressure. “Is the right answer that we retreat behind our borders and believe that the problems will be solved that way? Or should we say: in order to solve these problems in the world in a positive way for all citizens in Europe, we have to build a strong Europe.”
This also applies to migration. There are no easy solutions here – even where right-wing governments are in power, you can see that they have not found a solution. “Only a global approach will help us. (…) First we must try to combat the causes of migration.” These are wars in Africa, Afghanistan and Syria, but also economic disasters in Africa. In addition, greater solidarity is needed among the EU states. “We have to look at securing our borders better and at the same time we have to speed up the procedures,” Schmit continues. At the same time, the EU is in a demographic crisis and needs workers. In addition to immigration, integration is also a big issue here.
The EU also needs to expand in order to expand its social, democratic model of society to countries that want it. “If there is a country that has clearly committed itself to Europe, even having people die for it, then it is Ukraine,” says Schmit, referring to the European flags at the Euromaidan protests in Kiev a good ten years ago. A country like Austria benefited a lot economically from the last EU expansion. “I also believe Austria will benefit from future expansions.”
With a view to EU enlargement, the EU must also discuss abolishing unanimity. “A Europe of 32 or 33 member states cannot be blocked by one state in the future.” Schmit does not see himself as an advocate of a further transfer of competences away from the nation states to the EU. “Perhaps there are areas where we can regulate things better nationally, or even regionally or locally. But we also keep encountering new problems where it is clear that we need to work together more.”
With a view to the EU elections, Schmit advocated that the top candidate of the strongest faction should continue to lead the EU Commission in the future – even if this is his rival and top candidate from the conservatives, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen becomes. “I also see no reason for the Council (body of EU heads of state and government; note) this time to oppose a proposal for one of the two leading candidates of the two parties that are likely to emerge first (EPP and PES/PES; note .),” He also regretted that there were no trans-European lists on which the top candidates might run directly for the European Parliament.
(The interview was conducted by Stephan Polet/APA)
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