Manfred Weber, chairman of the European People’s Party (EPP), no longer sees the United States as the stable global force it once was.
In an exclusive interview with Euronows, he expressed concern over what he described as “destructive and unstable behaviour” during the early Trump administration.
“In a world where America is no longer a stable anchor and does not give this kind of orientation, Europe is even more sought after, and Europe’s biggest party must provide this idea and this content accurately to Europe,” Weber said.
The gap between Europe and the US was a complete and shocking display when Vice President JD Vance addressed the Munich Security Conference in February. In his remarks, he condemned the EU with stifling free speech and promised a different approach.
“Under Donald Trump’s leadership, we may disagree with your opinion, but we defend your right to provide it in the public square – either agree or disagree,” Vance said.
Weber strongly opposed it, defending European restrictions on hate speech and disinformation.
“We are not following Vice President Vance’s consideration that everything is permitted,” he told Euroneus. “No, not everything is permitted in Europe. You can’t lie. You can’t hate speech there. You can’t be anti-Semitists in today’s European world.”
How to live in Europe
Weber emphasized the importance of defining different European identities, free from external influences, whether they are from the US, China, or Russia.
“This implementation of our rules is confident that we believe in the European way of life rather than tracking the approaches of the US, Chinese or Russian.”
Despite advocating for strategic distancing from Washington, Weber highlighted the continued importance of defence cooperation and the need for Europe to strengthen its role on the global stage.
“What we still need more involvement is the defense and the policy of the external issues ahead of us, and that’s the job we did before.”
Weber was re-elected in his second term as EPP president during the Valencia Conference, winning 502 of the 563 votes.
