ECR co-chairs Raffaele Fitto and Ryszard Legutko today welcomed the European Commission President-designate to their Group meeting in Brussels.

ECR Group members today had a wide-ranging discussion with Ursula von der Leyen on her programme for the European Commission Presidency, including on issues such as security, migration, the rule of law and Brexit as well as her general views on the future of the EU.

Speaking after the meeting Raffaele Fitto said:

“Our discussions with the President-designate were honest and frank. We set out the ECR’s agenda and now need to discuss her nomination further internally.

“We want to play a constructive part in discussions, which should not be framed as a choice between following a path set by self-styled ‘pro-European’ parties or something completely different. The EU is already divided enough without needing to push parties and their voters further apart.”

Polish MEP Ryszard Legutko added:

“We were happy to invite Mrs. Von der Leyen to our Group meeting for an exchange of ideas. There are clearly some areas of agreement, but not on every issue.

“The fact that Mrs. Von der Leyen did not run as a lead candidate for one of the European parties is not an issue for us, her qualifications and programme are much more important. We will continue to reflect internally on her nomination over the coming days before making a decision ahead of the vote on Tuesday.”