Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1494707
6 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 12 MARCH 2023 NEWS Nato post for Ursula keeps rumour mill running on Metsola future MATTHEW VELLA RUMOURS that European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen could be touted to succeed Nato secretary-gen- eral Jens Stoltenberg, have reopened yet again the prospect of the centre-right Eu- ropean People's Party (EPP) considering Roberta Metsola as its lead candidate. It is a prospect that lies in a grey area of Brussels gossip and political specula- tion. But as one of the most high-profile MEPs in recent years, in Malta the future of Metsola is framed as either potential spitzenkandidat for the EPP, or a grand return home to take back the PN in pow- er as leader. Italian newspaper La Repubblica re- ported that incumbent European Com- mission president Ursula von der Leyen could have a 'plan B' lined up her own fu- ture, to take up the Nato top job, with full backing of home country Germany and US President Joe Biden. Stoltenberg's mandate expired last year, and was extended after the start of the war in Ukraine. As former German de- fence minister, Von der Leyen could be a consensus candidate, but her mandate in Brussels ends in the summer of 2024. And she has yet to commit herself to seek reappointment as EC president, which involves actually running in the Euro- pean elections of May 2024 as the EPP's lead candidate, or spitzenkandidat, and clinching the Council's approval. The Italian and Brussels press believes EPP leader Manfred Weber has named- ropped Roberta Metsola as a potential lead candidate, because she can bridge a broad right-wing coalition that includes the hard-right European Conservatives & Reformists (ECR), with a nod of approv- al from Italian far-right prime minister Giorgia Meloni. Weber's quest: ensure a resounding victory in the 2024 elec- tions for the EPP, to scotch the need for a consensus candidate at the EC, a proper red rag to socialists, greens and left-wing groups. Flattering though the prospect might be, aides to Metsola have told MaltaTo- day that she remains bound – politically – by her position as president of the Par- liament that probes the activities of the Commission, not to be seen as entertain- ing the offer. As the face of the elected body that represents European citizens and which scrutinises all legislation and decision-making bodies in the EU, she cannot actively lobby for such a position. "She has already declared her position on this matter in Dublin," says one of her close aides – "she is not considering the option." Which does not rule out the odds of any last-minute change of plans. Yet unlike previous lead candidates – Luxembour- gish PM Jean-Claude Juncker in 2014 or German defence minister Von der Leyen in 2019 – never has a sitting EP presi- dent ran for re-election under the recent spitzenkandidat process – which is a po- litical race that is not even legally-bind- ing on the European Council, which ap- points the Commission. Indeed, Weber in 2019 was the EPP's lead candidate, but Europe's prime min- isters rebuffed him and agreed on Von der Leyen as president of the Commis- sion. And in May 2024 with the European elections underway, Metsola's mandate would have yet to expire July – an awk- ward situation where the EPP's lead can- didate is still the EP president but tipped to be Commission boss. Too difficult perhaps, even due to her lack of govern- ment experience that is often necessary for elevation to EC president – a decision ultimately taken by the EU's prime min- isters, harder. Labour insiders want to show they are ruling out the prospect of prime minis- ter Robert Abela approving a Maltese spitzenkandidat from the centre-right as head of the European Commission. But these claims are also part of the playbook on partisan grandstanding – a Maltese at the head of the EC could give Malta the rare privilege to have an early start on major policies often crafted by the Ger- mans and French. LABOUR and the Nationalist opposition yesterday launched missives at each other after MEP Alex Agius Saliba accused European Parliament president Roberta Metsola of hypocrisy in the face of the Greek gov- ernment's obstacles to visiting LIBE committee MEPs. Agius Saliba said Metsola was silent in the face of the conserv- ative-led Greek government, whose ruling party belongs to Metsola's political family EPP (European People's Party), and its hindrance of visiting LIBE MEPs to examine the state of rule of law in the country. "Her silence shows her clear hypocrisy and double stand- ards," Agius Saliba said. "The Greek government hindered and jeopardised the visit by the MEPs from the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) to exam- ine the state of the rule of law, governance and the wiretap- ping scandal in Greece. "On top of that, the Greek government cancelled all meet- ings with the MEPs, and used the excuse of the train tragedy which took place on the 28 Feb- ruary." During his parliamentary vis- it in Greece along with other MEPs this week, Agius Saliba emphasised that Metsola and the EP had stayed silent and did not condemn the decisions taken by the Greek institutions not to meet the MEPs on such important and sensitive issues in Greece. Agius Saliba said the S&D should move forward with a resolution in the European Par- liament next week, condemn- ing the Greek government and the silence of Metsola in face of such a sensitive situation in Greece. "What applies to Malta should also apply to all member states of the European Union," Agius Saliba said, recalling various visits from the LIBE committee to examine the state of rule of law in Malta. "The EPP were adamant on meeting Maltese officials when they came to in- vestigate governance and rule of law in Malta. However, the EPP and Metsola are acting hypocritically and with double standards when it comes to the Greek Government," the La- bour MEP said. "The EPP are not only silent in the face of all this, but they are now trying to present a res- olution in the EP on the issue of the hospitals concession in Malta, deviating people's atten- tion from their silence, hypocri- sy and double standards," Agius Saliba said. The EPP in fact announced on 6 March that they would not participate in the LIBE mission on rule of law in Greece. All other parties in the European Parliament participated in full in this mission. The Nationalist Party hit back, accusing Labour of hypocrisy over its hospitals concession deals, the Electrogas fixed-price energy deal, and even claimed that Malta was "defending Pu- tin and Russia" before following the EU's lead on Ukraine. "Hypocrites are those who defend the accused in crim- inal cases on revenge porn," the PN said, in a reference to a suspended sentence on such charges for Labour MEP Cyrus Engerer. "Or those who defend the corrupt like Konrad Mizzi, who use taxpayers' money to pay for the office and car of the Labour accuses Metsola of hypocrisy over silence on Greek sabotage of LIBE mission Roberta Metsola with Ursula von der Leyen Labour MEP Alex Agius Saliba