Nicolas Schmit: The socialist candidate for the European Commission: “There is no compromise possible with the extreme right or with those who protect it” | International

Nicolas Schmit is direct: “There is no compromise possible with the extreme right or with those who support and protect it. » Luxembourg’s European Commissioner for Employment and Social Rights will be proclaimed this Saturday spitzenkandidat of the European Socialist Party (PES). This means he will be at the head of his political family’s list to compete to become the next president of the European Commission. All in a period of turbulence for a Europe which still bears the consequences of the pandemic, with a war on the continent – ​​that of Russia against Ukraine – and with a deep division in the face of Israel’s violations of international law with its attacks on Gaza. A disenchanted Europe in which populism and the far right are progressing. That he sells quick – and in reality unsustainable – solutions to problems, says Schmit (Differdange, Luxembourg, 70), who speaks to EL PAÍS between two meetings at the Democratic Party headquarters in Rome, on the eve of the great congress. of the PES.

Her main rival is Ursula von der Leyen, the current head of the community executive, from the European People’s Party (EPP) family, favorite to renew her mandate. The German focused her speech on protecting and strengthening security in Europe with a new defense policy and assured that she would not agree with “friends of Putin” or “anti-NATO” groups. “. This would theoretically exclude formations like the French National Regroupement, led by Marine Le Pen, but it leaves room for several far-right parties, like that of Giorgia Meloni (Fratelli d’Italia), who came to power precisely thanks to the conservatives of the Von der Leyen family.

The fact that the PES congress is taking place in Rome is another gesture against these alliances with the ultras. “The extreme right, whether it is one party or another, one parliamentary group or another, has an anti-European, nationalist, sometimes hateful and divisive discourse,” explains Schmit , who wears a badge with the design of a red rose. …on the lapel of the jacket. “They decided to capitalize on this or that situation, as we see today with the peasants and farmers. And tomorrow they move on. They were against glyphosate, now they find out they have to be in favor of glyphosate. These are parties which have no vision of the future, no project, except that of going backwards,” he said insistently. “The problem of going backwards is that it is the bankruptcy of Europe, but it is also the bankruptcy of our way of life, the questioning of the fundamental values ​​for which we have been fighting for decades . It is the failure of social protection, which is an element of cohesion,” he adds.

Schmit is little known at European level, even within the bubble of community institutions, but he has built the image of a solvent and honest politician who does not seek notoriety, but rather rolls up his sleeves to do his part. work. He was the only candidate to spitzenkandidat of his party and therefore to measure himself against Von der Leyen. Some voices point out that even if he is not considered a winner, the commissioner is the best asset to negotiate the big positions in the post-electoral distribution and push the Commission even further to the left. “We are campaigning to win, then we will see the reality of the numbers, the composition of the European Parliament. We want to influence the work of the Commission and negotiate policies. This is essential,” said Iratxe García, president of the Socialists and Democrats group in the European Parliament, during the Congress presentation.

His roadmap is to evolve towards a more social and feminist Europe, which is moving towards a “just green transition”, he underlines. “There will be no break in the Green Deal, but a policy of social dialogue accompanied by social and labor market policies is necessary. This transition must be different, it must be a just transition,” he emphasizes.

sanitary cordon

Schmit’s arguments clearly show that Von der Leyen is not guaranteed his support for a second term if he breaks the sanitary cordon to the far right. The German conservative, who could have been president precisely with the votes of the Polish and Hungarian ultraconservatives, knows that her margin is narrow and lately she has dedicated herself to winking at the far right and the sector the most traditionalist of his party, in elements like the green agenda. Schmit assures that everything is not happening. “Can I belong to a far-left radical group? Can I reach an agreement or compromise with (Hungarian national populist Viktor) Orbán? He doesn’t say. “There is an absolute red line because they go against all our values ​​and everything we have, everything we must achieve and build in the European Union. We want nothing to do with these parties and the candidate (Von der Leyen) must think and choose her alliances,” says Schmit.

He gives various examples, not only the Italian one, which was the great laboratory of the EPP for its political alliances with the ultras: they also did it in Finland, in Sweden, they flirt with the ultras Geert Wilders in the Netherlands and the Popular Party created alliances with the ultra and eurosceptic Vox party to govern in municipal councils and autonomous communities, and a government coalition was under study.

Schmit focuses more on a social agenda, but in a complicated Europe, he assures that he is not against investments in defense. “I would have preferred if we could benefit from the peace dividend. Unfortunately, someone very dangerous wanted the opposite and that is why we owe it to ourselves, and especially to our children, to be safe,” he emphasizes. “We cannot accept that our children are exposed to permanent threats (from Vladimir Putin), to permanent blackmail from a power (Russia) which is an imperialist power and, by its orientations, a fascist power .”

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