In this edition, we look at the far right’s victory in German local elections, and the EU’s efforts to get more women in top jobs
This week, we are joined by German MEP Peter Liese, Secretary General of the European Movement Petros Fassoulas and Ania Skrzypek from the Foundation for European Progressive Studies.
The panel reflected on the recent win for the far right in Germany, and the stark rejection of traditional political parties.
Last Sunday, the anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) won 32.8% of the vote in the eastern state of Thuringia. The three parties composing German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s traffic-light coalition – the Social Democrats, Greens and Liberals – all took a heavy beating.
Peter Liese, from the centre-right European People’s Party (EPP), said there was a major problem with politics in Germany and across Europe.
“We need to listen better to people. We have to take it seriously and people inside Brussels need to listen better what average people on the ground think”, he said.
Petros Fasoulas said he worried about AfD’s attempts to “poison the political discourse”.
“These political parties are not interested in creation, not interested in solutions: they want fragmentation”, he said, adding: “We’ve seen the lessons from history. The intention of AfD and authoritarian fascist parties is to destroy, to undermine and emerge as the only saviour out of the chaos that they created.”
The panel also examined the formation of the next European Commission — as President Ursula von der Leyen is in a race to ensure she has enough female candidates to serve in the EU executive.
Watch “Brussels, my love?” all weekend on Euronews.
