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President Iohannis: EPP to further back Manfred Weber's bid for European Commission head
President Klaus Iohannis said on Tuesday that the European People's Party (EPP) will further back Manfred Weber for European Commission President, stressing that however no one can form a majority in the European Parliament without Europe's largest political family - the EPP, and that negotiations need to be conducted firmly.
Before the European Council informal meeting in Brussels, President Iohannis was asked to comment on some of the EU leaders' opposition to Manfred Weber's candidacy.
"As extremely important positions are at stake, all actors are trying to position themselves as best as possible and we shouldn't see these statements other than as an assertion game. The EPP has been pursuing since 2014 the solution of the so-called Spitzenkandidat - or lead candidate who spearheads the campaign. For the EPP, Manfred Weber has been the lead candidate in this campaign and he will be further promoted for the job of European Commission President; the EPP has made this decision a long time ago, so that it will stick to it. This has been just briefly discussed today because there was no other opinion and the EPP will further back Manfred Weber," said Iohannis.