Teresa Ribera defended herself this Tuesday in the European Parliament against the harsh criticism of the Popular Party and Vox, supported by some of her European group colleagues, regarding the management of the Valencia dana. The Spanish woman’s exam for the position of Clean, Fair and Competitive Transition and in charge of Competition has been tough, harsh and plagued by attacks from conservatives and ultras, who have been trying for days to muddy her appointment and have sought to convert the European Parliament in a national policy forum. Popular and ultras are maneuvering in Brussels to block or at least postpone the appointment of the Spanish woman as a member of the next European Commission and have suggested that she may be charged for the management of the dana. The European People’s Party (EPP) has already hinted, after the examination in the European Parliament, that it will ask Ribera for additional answers and that they expect the social democrat to give explanations in the Spanish Congress, something that is scheduled for November 20. The possibility of delaying the entire process increases.
“The Commission must be free of any accusation, with its integrity beyond doubt. We need clear political and legal security,” said the president of the EPP and head of the popular group in the European Parliament, Manfred Weber, in a statement. “At this moment we have two executive vice presidents who still need to address and resolve issues at home before assuming leadership positions in Europe,” said the German conservative, alluding to the Spanish woman and the Romanian social democrat Roxana Minzatu, who is implicated in a case of irregular works on a property. “We hope that Teresa Ribera answers all outstanding questions about her ministerial duties before the Spanish Parliament before seeking new responsibilities in Europe,” Weber added.
The vice presidents and commissioners discussed their portfolios, their plans for the legislature and their competencies to carry out the position and mission entrusted to them in the new European Commission. If doubts remain, as has been the case of the Hungarian commissioner Olivér Varheliy, more information may be requested and answered in writing. On other occasions – in which some of those appointed have fallen due to serious pending cases or due to poor performance in exams – this has been the case.
“There is nothing more dangerous than undermining the credibility of the institutions that warn us,” Ribera concluded in response to questions about the damage that has devastated Valencia by MEP Jorge Buxadé, from Vox, one of the deniers of the climate crisis, but not the only one in the European Parliament. “My main concern is that society is not able to assess the authentic threat posed by climate change and extreme weather events,” added the Spaniard.
Ribera’s exam has been one of the toughest that the candidates for commissioners and vice presidents who will make up the Community Executive have faced, which will foreseeably begin their mandate on December 1. But while the groups’ European legislators (with some exceptions) have focused on probing Ribera’s plans for competition and for the automobile sector in the green transition, what he will do with the technological giants or the effects of European policies For the countryside, the Spanish opposition has charged against her – and even for the corruption case for which former minister José Luis Ábalos is being investigated. At times, the EPP and the far right have also joined in the criticism. Ribera is the key piece of the social democrats and a counterweight in a community Executive leaning to the right.
“That exam is totally unnecessary, she faced the exam of her life in Valencia,” the popular Dolors Montserrat asked her. “You are responsible for the preparation and warning of climate disasters,” insisted the PP MEP, who has accused Ribera of hiding in Brussels about the dana and has even hinted that she will be charged. “I wonder why they want to undermine the credibility of the State Meteorological Agency (Aemet) and why they do not take these alerts seriously,” said Ribera, who explained to the MEPs that Spain has a decentralized system, like Germany. , that the national government alerted the regional government (the Valencian Generalitat, in the hands of the PP), responsible for managing the response and warnings to citizens, and that it did not react.
“The alerts [meteorológicas] “They are not what failed, what failed were the alerts to the population,” Ribera stressed. “That failed, and that is not the responsibility of the national government, which was ready to help and working since early in the morning; “Local authorities and public and private institutions paid attention to the alerts,” he added. “It is important to take into account why we cannot make the mistake more times, we must take the alerts seriously and we must not undermine the credibility of the institutions that issue these alerts because they save lives,” he insisted.
The PP, which is trying to cover up the management of the party’s autonomous government in the Valencian Community by dragging Ribera, is moving hard to delay the evaluation (vote) of his appointment as much as possible and is putting pressure on its European group, the EPP , so that that key step is even next week. The displeasure of the most pro-European groups (social democrats, liberals and greens) at this prospect is enormous.
The delay to next week encouraged by the PP and of which the popular Europeans are also supporters would represent a challenge to his colleague and president of the Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, who wants the votes to be resolved as soon as possible. Above all due to the international context, with Russia’s war against Ukraine and the return to the White House of the populist Republican Donald Trump, who threatens to increase tariffs on European products and escalate the trade war with China. At the moment, with a lot of background noise, the groups have agreed to postpone “until further notice”, and at the earliest until this Wednesday, the votes of the six vice presidents who have been examined during the day on Tuesday to do so. In this way, if one piece falls, it can affect the rest.
“I have not found many arguments that convince my political group that you are the ideal candidate,” warned German MEP Peter Liese (EPP), spokesperson for the group and a heavyweight. MEPs can ask Ribera and the rest of the vice presidents (or one of them) for more information or to answer more questions in writing, beyond those they answered in the hearing.
Regarding her very powerful portfolio, which was the question of the real examination, Ribera – 55 years old, with a technical profile and well known in Brussels but with little experience in competition – has defended herself by assuring that she will work as a team. “It is essential that we remain firm in our principles,” he said. “We cannot pursue a foreign competition policy without ensuring internal competition,” stressed Ribera, who believes that the rules on state aid must be simplified.
Regarding nuclear energy, a controversial issue at the European level, the Spanish vice president has pointed out that it is an issue that corresponds to each European country to decide. “Several Member States have opted for nuclear power and others for alternative routes. The idea is to meet the 2030 and 2050 decarbonization objective, but all options deserve respect,” said Ribera.
