Raid of EPP HQ causes frustration in centre-right family

The Belgian police's raid in the European People's Party (EPP) headquarters on Tuesday in Brussels over an alleged scandal involving a former consultant of EPP chief Manfred Weber has caused frustration within the EU centre-right family, EURACTIV has learnt. EURACTIV broke the news on Tuesday that in a sudden move, the Belgian police raided the EPP offices, checking computers and requesting documents related to an ongoing inquiry into alleged corruption during the 2019 EU election campaign. An EPP staff member who was present during the raid told EURACTIV that "whatever the Belgian police requested, it was provided".

In the spotlight is Christian-Democrat (CDU) lawmaker Mario Voigt, the digital campaign manager for EPP leader Manfred Weber during the 2019 EU election campaign. According to German media reports, the inquiries centre on awarding the contract for the digital campaign to a company in Thuringia, Germany. Voigt is now leader of the CDU in Thuringia.

The 'visit'

The EPP tried to downplay the issue, saying in a statement that it was a "visit", something that caused criticism on social media.

"Representatives from the Belgian and German police authorities visited the party headquarters in Brussels [...] the visit is connected to an ongoing inquiry in Thuringia, Germany," the EPP said in a short statement. "The party is cooperating in full transparency with the authorities involved, providing all relevant information and documentation," it added. Although Voigt was an external consultant during the 2019 EU elections, he had close ties with Weber.

"Weber brought him to the elections campaign, it was his personal choice", an EPP source from the group in the EU Parliament said, adding that "nothing could go through without Voigt's greenlight during the pre-election campaign". The same source added that Voigt also has personal ties with Udo Zolleis, the current EPP's head of strategy unit and Weber's right hand. "Weber will have a political cost because of this story", the source added.

As a leader of the EPP Party and Group, Weber has been cautious regarding the Qatargate involving socialist politicians. His suggestion to his members after the scandal was revealed was to adopt a "wait and see" approach despite calls for an "attack" against the socialist group. Unlike Weber, though, the EPP secretary general Thanasis Bakolas said publicly that the Qatargate was "a socialist problem".

Growing frustration

EURACTIV was informed that yesterday's raid added to the already mounting frustration around Weber and his choices.

The frustration is intense especially for those centre-right parties which face elections soon, such as the Polish delegation which is struggling to face the Law and Justice party (PiS - European Conservatives and Reformists). An EPP bureau meeting is scheduled for next week in Warsaw and the Polish centre-right is already displeased by Weber's move to build political bridges with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's "Brothers of Italy" party. The latter also belongs to the same ECR political family as PiS.

In January, EURACTIV reported that the German centre-right parties (CDU, CSU) in Berlin firmly rejected a potential collaboration between ECR and EPP. While the Italian coalition government also includes the EPP sister party Forza Italia, the positions of the other Italian coalition parties "are largely incompatible with those of the EPP," foreign policy spokesperson of the CDU/CSU party group in the Bundestag, Jurgen Hardt, told EURACTIV Germany. "There is no reason for further cooperation with the other parties of the Italian government in the European Parliament, as long as they cooperate with openly anti-European forces such as the German AfD," Hardt said.

In Rome, Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia, a coalition partner of Meloni's government, is also up in arms after Weber decided to cancel a party meeting in Naples this summer following Berlusconi's attack on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Rumours in the EPP suggest that yesterday's raid may damage Weber's potential plans to run for the Presidency of the European Commission and giving Ursula von der Leyen a clear advantage.

Concerns over EPP chief's leadership style, second salary

Officials of the conservative European People's Party (EPP) have voiced concern about Manfred Weber's leadership style and his attempts to collaborate with Italy's far-right Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni without prior consultations.

(Sarantis Michalopoulos | EURACTIV.com)