Charlie Weimers MEP 🇸🇪@weimers
Europe’s future cannot be held hostage to Berlin’s brandmauer
There is a lot of political spin regarding chats and meetings relating to the conservative and patriotic victory on the Return Regulation. Since, Ehrlichkeit währt am längsten, I want to set the record straight and speak plainly about what took place in the negotiations. This is not a question of who texted whom — the focus of German press –- but how politics in Brussels functions when tangible results and political change is the goal.
The Sweden Democrats have always prioritized policy change over point scoring. In this spirit I took the initiative and built the bridge between the groups on the right to achieve the policies Europe desperately needs.
The WhatsApp group was started by my office. As negotiator for the ECR I pushed for all groups right of centre to be included in the negotiations and shared with them the Council’s compromise texts long before the final position became public. A large share of my 372 amendments form the foundation of the compromise that was ultimately adopted in committee. We ensured that the joint centre-right proposal is compatible with the Council position and reflects the input of Patriots and ESN positions so that we together can deliver the tougher return rules Europe so badly needed.
By working together, the ECR, Patriots for Europe, Europe of Sovereign Nations and the EPP secured a proposal that gives member states tools that would increase return rates: hubs outside the Union, extend of detention of illegals to 24 months including unlimited detention for those posing a security risk, mutual recognition of return decisions, and stricter sanctions.
We have a model for this type of cooperation in Sweden. Parties on the right cooperate by way of broad agreements across party lines that deliver tangible results. Less gang shootings, more deportations and drastically reduced asylum migration. In the EU election campaign I promised to do my utmost to implement the same successful model in Brussels. I said that we would need to negotiate also with parties where there is major disagreement on important policy issues, to deliver the results voters want. This honest acknowledgement was used by some opportunistic parties, including the EPP, for short-term political gain by launching dishonest attacks on the Sweden Democrats.
We are now witnessing a similar political game playing out in Brussels and Berlin. The left and the media try to scare the EPP into submission to stop them from delivering the policies right wing voters want. Voters across Europe remember “Wir schaffen das”, “Atomkraft? Nein Danke” and “Energiewende”. Why? Because they pay the price.
When the EPP made a deal with the left on the Migration Pact they sacrificed security interests to appear ‘respectable’. The era of surrenders to the left is over. The return regulation position was all about focusing on good content. The deal in the LIBE Committee gives the German government and all non left-wing governments, as well as the majority of voters, in the EU the legislation they want. Those that now focus on chat groups are the very same people that would not admit that there is such a thing as illegal migration.
The CDU and German EPP are powerful players, yet Europe’s policy cannot remain hostage to Berlin’s brandmauer logic. Whether the issue is migration, competitiveness, energy, or security we have a responsibility to deliver. The Brandmauer (German firewall) cannot be allowed to prevent the EU from enacting much needed legislation. We need more chat groups.
The CDU leadership knows that upholding the firewall produces inferior policy outcomes. They also know that the SPD can’t and won’t deliver socialist votes for stricter migration policy in Brussels. If they want to deliver serious political change in Brussels, be it on competitiveness, energy or migration policy their only option is to deal with the right.
Berlin has its own priorities. For the Sweden Democrats and voters all across Europe, only the outcome counts. The LIBE Committee has approved the proposal and the plenary vote will take place on March 26. Then all voters will know if their representatives have chosen optics and virtue signaling or sound strict migration policy that makes Europe safe again.
