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Europe Today: EU-Kommissarin und finnische Außenministerin sprechen exklusiv mit Euronews
Europe Today: Mittelmeer-Kommissarin und Finnlands Außenminister im Euronews-Exklusivinterview. Die wichtigsten Themen des Tages, in nur zwanzig Minuten sind Sie auf dem Laufenden.
LESEN SIE MEHR : http://de.euronews.com/2026/03/17/europe-today-eu-kommissarin-fur-mittelmeer-und-finnische-aussenministerin-im-exklusivgespr
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Europe Today: Mittelmeer-Kommissarin und Finnlands Außenminister im Euronews-Exklusivinterview. Die wichtigsten Themen des Tages, in nur zwanzig Minuten sind Sie auf dem Laufenden.
LESEN SIE MEHR : http://de.euronews.com/2026/03/17/europe-today-eu-kommissarin-fur-mittelmeer-und-finnische-aussenministerin-im-exklusivgespr
Abonnieren Sie! Euronews gibt es in 12 Sprachen.
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04:29whether it contradicts the UN Charter.
04:31So given all of that, do you think that the board is credible?
04:35Again, if I may ask you that question.
04:37The invitation for the Board of Peace was received by President von der Leyen
04:41and I was representing her at that meeting.
04:45So it doesn't mean that we legitimized this board.
04:48We were there as we were just observing what was going on.
04:53This was a good occasion for me as commissioner to meet all the ministers from the region.
04:57For me, it was a good moment to meet all of them at one place.
05:01But at the same time, we are not in line with some of the Board of Peace rules or procedure
05:09with the scope and with different issues so that we are not members.
05:14We are just there. We were there for courtesy reasons.
05:19So finally on this, will you continue to attend any meeting that are specifically related to the situation?
05:25We will decide on case by case basis.
05:28Okay. So obviously there is a war now that is threatening to spill over into the wider Middle East.
05:34You as commissioner, you're responsible for relations with some of these countries.
05:40How does this war affect your work and the cooperation with the countries such as Lebanon
05:45that are directly affected by the conflict?
05:47So the situation is developing as we speak.
05:50So we have to adapt to the situation.
05:53It's also very difficult to start working on Middle East strategy at the moment because the situation develops.
06:02But we have to be active.
06:04We have to be engaged and we want to be engaged.
06:06This is the very reason why this portfolio exists, because President von der Leyen wanted us to be present
06:12and to be not only passive spectators, but to be players in the region.
06:18At this moment, unfortunately, we are mostly payers.
06:21We are paying a lot and our influence is not that huge.
06:26But we want to increase our influence in the region and globally.
06:30Part of this region that you also oversee as well is obviously Israel.
06:35And do you support now the French calls for that they broker talks between Israel and Lebanon to come to
06:43kind of settlements?
06:44For us, only dialogue, only de-escalation and only diplomacy work.
06:50And this is my position and this is position of the European Commission.
06:54I could say three Ds, dialogue, diplomacy and de-escalation.
06:58And I support, of course, this.
07:00Unfortunately, the proxies, Iranian proxies, Hezbollah started this.
07:04And then it was, if I may say, returned by Israeli strikes, which is not good for the people of
07:14Lebanon, not good for anyone in the region.
07:17If I may, you say diplomacy.
07:20Can you really push for that, given the situation that we're seeing today, where we're not seeing any diplomacy?
07:26It's just a conflict.
07:27Yeah, but we are not supporting any conflict.
07:30We are really, we are calling everyone, all the forces there to de-escalate, because it doesn't bring anyone, anything
07:39good.
07:39First, people of the region, but also globally, Europe, to Europe, there is an impact, but there is also impact
07:46on the whole world.
07:47If you look at energy prices or crisis, you see what's going on in the world, and this won't be
07:55easy to return to the zero position, as it was before this conflict, because the impact is huge, especially on
08:05oil, but also on other sources of energy.
08:07And looking at Iran, is there anything that you can do as commissioner to support the Iranian people?
08:12We are the only one in the world who is, who was and who has been and who is supporting
08:18at this moment civil society organizations in Iran, because we didn't have any bilateral connections with the government,
08:28but with civil society organizations via our implementing partners on the ground, so we have been doing a lot for
08:36Afghan people who are refugees in Iran, if you know.
08:39It's more than 100 million euro, which we invested in civil society organizations as of 2021.
08:46So this is what we can do at the moment, and this is what we have been doing.
08:50So helping people through non-governmental organizations.
08:57Now, the war in the Middle East has nothing to do with NATO and is not a NATO war.
09:01That's the message from the office of the German Chancellor.
09:03For more on the mood among NATO allies, your news correspondent Shona Murray sent us this update.
09:09Well, good morning, Maeve.
09:10And just as we thought the turmoil from last January when Donald Trump said he wanted to take over Greenland
09:14was coming to an end,
09:16Donald Trump, it appears, is trying to draw NATO into his war with Iran,
09:20with comments at the weekend saying that NATO would face a very bad future if it doesn't support Donald Trump
09:25and help sort out the situation with the Strait of Hormuz.
09:28I caught up with the Finnish foreign affairs minister, Alina Valtanen, and I asked her about this prospect.
09:33I think NATO, first and foremost, its purpose is, as the North Atlantic Treaty says, for the North Atlantic security.
09:41And therefore, that's our top priority.
09:44And also, I mean, NATO is a defensive alliance in any case.
09:49But having said all this, of course, we will be closely scrutinizing together with our partners and allies,
09:57so both in NATO, but also in the European Union, whether there are ways in which we can help to
10:04both have the Strait of Hormuz open up,
10:08but also to make it secure going forward as well.
10:12NATO is a defensive alliance, not an offensive alliance.
10:16So therefore, it can't be dragged into a war of the United States and Israel's making.
10:21Is that what you're saying?
10:22NATO is indeed a defensive alliance, and we won't be dragged in into any war of choice.
10:28But having said all this, we, of course, have a collective interest.
10:33And I should say not only within NATO, but as the world to have the oil flowing and also the
10:41situation to de-escalate.
10:42And that is certainly something we are calling for.
10:45OK, so what's then the EU and, I guess, NATO, but let's say European response going to be to try
10:50to help reopen and keep open the Strait of Hormuz,
10:54given the impact it's having on the global economy and oil prices?
10:57Yeah, so, well, today in Brussels, but also in the upcoming days, we will be discussing this with our closest
11:05partners and allies,
11:07both within the European Union and in NATO, whether there should be some sort of an operation which could be
11:16there for that precise purpose,
11:20that we both keep this Strait open, not just for now, but also for the future.
11:25But having said all this, it will require very close scrutiny because, for instance, I can say that for countries
11:33like Finland,
11:35we as NATO members and securing a very long border with Russia as well,
11:40we certainly need our capabilities first and foremost to deter the threat of Russia against the entire alliance.
11:48Back a few months ago, there was Greenland.
11:50OK, then you have months before that, all NATO allies saying that they're going to increase spending to 5%
11:57and everyone did that.
11:59And now you have Donald Trump taking away the Russian sanctions against the Kremlin,
12:04which is probably one of the most effective thing that Europe has done.
12:08Now that Putin can get all this money from the oil revenue, it means he can spend it on the
12:12war in Ukraine and actually Russian attacks against NATO territory.
12:15Well, you see, the Russian economy showed some serious cracks earlier this year.
12:22And many were of the opinion that finally the sanctions that we have put on do work.
12:30And certainly the sanctions have played a massive role in weakening Russia's fiscal position,
12:35which is good because Russia is using its rubles essentially to fund its war machine.
12:43But now that the oil price has been ticking up and it probably will be staying there for some time,
12:51that certainly helps Russia on a daily basis.
12:55Should Europe say, OK, we will help you, but we need a better deal on Ukraine,
12:59whether it's security guarantees or we need you to take away the tariffs that you've imposed on us
13:04that are really damaging our economies or creating global instability?
13:06Certainly, if there's going to be a decision to be helping out with the Strait of Hormuz,
13:12then certainly there's a lot of leverage that we can also make use of.
13:18But let's...
13:19Like Wash, what would you think?
13:20So let's not rush into conclusions here.
13:22But what has to be said that not only Ukraine, but also Europe have very strong cards,
13:27especially in the long term.
13:31And now moving on, even though everyone outside Brussels is talking about the Oscars this week
13:36and the exceptional wins of European actors,
13:39inside Brussels everyone's talking about Manfred Weber,
13:42the German centre-right politician accused of teaming up with the far right
13:46after promising his voters he would not.
13:48But who is the 53-year-old who's been EPP party boss since 2022?
13:53Jakob Janis takes a look.
13:55In Brussels, no one throws a political party quite like conservatives.
14:01And tomorrow, the European People's Party celebrates its 50th anniversary.
14:06All eyes are now on party's boss, Manfred Weber,
14:09who doesn't just want to make kings, he wants to be one.
14:13But while the party looks back at its history,
14:16your reporter wants to look at his true currency.
14:19Because for Weber, it's all about the votes.
14:22So let's count them, shall we?
14:25Remember 2019?
14:27Because Weber certainly does.
14:29He was the lead candidate for the European Commission presidency,
14:33but EU leaders publicly snapped him,
14:35giving the job to Ursula von der Leyen instead.
14:38And he didn't take it lightly.
14:41But Weber is a tough player.
14:43He secured the overall party presidency in 2022.
14:47Then he cemented his absolute control
14:50with a massive re-election victory at the party congress in Valencia last year.
14:56Finally, there are the votes he trades.
14:59Last November, his lawmakers teamed up with the far right
15:02to weaken corporate sustainability rules.
15:06And his group defended the move,
15:08arguing they simply had to find a majority to help companies do business.
15:13But you see, this cooperation actually goes further.
15:16And last week's investigations show his group even collaborated
15:20with Alternative für Deutschland
15:22in a text chat to advance tougher migration laws.
15:26But you might ask, why does this even matter?
15:29And the answer is simple.
15:30Recent elections show voters demand more right-wing answers
15:34to political questions.
15:36But the so-called Cordon Sanitaire,
15:38or Brandmauer in German,
15:40forces difficult compromises with the left and liberals,
15:43leaving fewer people happy.
15:45And this is not just about the European Parliament,
15:48but the Bundestag too.
15:50And so, with the economy struggling,
15:52European and German conservative leaders face a dilemma.
15:55Should they stick to centrist alliances?
15:58Or maybe quietly work with the far right?
16:01And some speculate Weber is now eyeing a new mega-job
16:05merging the European Commission and council presidencies.
16:09He certainly knows how to get the votes,
16:11but can he handle the trouble that comes with them?
16:19And for more on this,
16:20let's go straight to the European Parliament,
16:22where correspondent Vincenzo Genovese
16:24is standing by for us this morning.
16:25Vincenzo, what is the latest here?
16:29Yes, Maeve, indeed, the pressure is mounting on Manfred Weber,
16:33the chair of the European People's Party.
16:35Yesterday evening, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz
16:38stepped in, saying,
16:40we don't accept this,
16:42we don't cooperate with the far right,
16:43we expect this to end,
16:45and we expect consequences.
16:46this will be Weber's responsibility.
16:49So Weber has always defended that his group is not cooperating with the far right,
16:56despite the fact that on migration-related files,
16:59EPP has voted in the same way as the far right groups,
17:03including Europe of Sovereign Nations,
17:06to which belongs Alternative for Germany.
17:08So, let's ask them.
17:10Joining me is Thomas Froelich,
17:12one of the lawmakers of Alternative for Germany here in Brussels.
17:16So, did this cooperation take place?
17:20I'm not a member of this committee.
17:21It was decided on the Liber Committee's level.
17:25I'm not a member of the Liber Committee,
17:26but as you can see,
17:28there was a certain form of cooperation on technical level.
17:32It's not an official cooperation.
17:34and, yeah,
17:35they voted on the same report,
17:39and it's not for the first time.
17:40I mean,
17:41we had already votes on the budget.
17:44I think it was one year ago.
17:46Not the first time of technical level cooperation,
17:49technical level talks.
17:50I mean,
17:51we just tabled some amendments.
17:53We called for more funding for physical barriers,
17:59physical border barriers.
18:00We called for more funding for external hubs for returns.
18:06And it was,
18:07I think,
18:07one and a half year ago.
18:08And our amendments that were tabled by our group
18:12were supported by the EPP at this time.
18:15So,
18:15it was not the first time that we turned down the so-called...
18:18Same views,
18:19more or less.
18:19But would you say that the firewall,
18:22the Brand Mauer,
18:23has fallen,
18:23at least here in Brussels?
18:26As I said,
18:27it was one and a half year.
18:28It was fallen for the first time
18:30and now for the second time.
18:32Yeah,
18:32look,
18:33we don't care about firewalls
18:35or about code of sanitizers
18:36because,
18:37in our opinion,
18:38for us,
18:39the interest of the Germans
18:40and the Europeans
18:41comes first
18:42and then the party interests.
18:43And now it's up to the EPP
18:44how they want to handle
18:46this situation.
18:47As I said,
18:48for us,
18:48the interest of our voters
18:50comes first.
18:51and I think
18:51in the democracy
18:54it would be better
18:55if also the other groups
18:56would respect
18:57the will of the people
18:59and,
18:59as I said,
19:00in many countries,
19:01parties like the AFD
19:02or like Rassemblement
19:03in France
19:04are the strongest
19:05or second strongest party
19:06so I think
19:07we need to respect
19:09the will of the people.
19:09And they are already
19:10cooperating with EPP parties
19:11in other countries
19:12but not in Germany.
19:13So what's the consequences
19:14in Germany,
19:15if any?
19:16As I said,
19:17we put the interest
19:19of the German people
19:19first
19:20and now it's up to the CDU.
19:23I think for the CDU
19:24it's a problem.
19:25The codon sanitaire,
19:26the so-called firewall
19:27is a bigger threat
19:28to the CDU
19:30than to us.
19:30Okay, Vincenzo,
19:31thank you so much there
19:31for that live update
19:32and also to your guest,
19:33the AFD MEP,
19:34Thomas Follett.
19:36Well, that does bring
19:37this edition of
19:37Europe Today to an end.
19:39For our millions of viewers
19:40with Irish blood,
19:41happy St. Patrick's Day.
19:42Stay with us here
19:43on Euronews
19:44as later from 1.30
19:46Central European time
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19:49all about healthcare
19:50and health innovation
19:51in the European Union.
19:52The Euronews Health Summit
19:53will look into
19:54the complex health landscape
19:55with a deep dive
19:56into AI,
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19:58and the EU's
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19:59and we'll also be joined
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20:01for Health.
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