Talking Europe hosts the head of the largest political group in the European Parliament, the centre-right European People's Party. Manfred Weber, a prominent German CSU politician, is hoping that the June 9 EU elections will re-confirm the EPP's pre-eminent position, but he is cautious on the possibility of alliances with the hard-right ECR group. We also touch on the "Russiagate" and "Piepergate" controversies, the EPP's contentious plan to reform the EU's asylum system, as well as French President Emmanuel Macron's "unwise" – according to Weber – remarks about potentially sending French troops to Ukraine.
We begin with the "Russiagate" affair – allegations that some MEPs have been involved in Kremlin-backed media operations to influence public opinion ahead of the European elections on June 9. "Putin's puppets are doing the job for him in Europe, and we have to tell people, 'don't vote for them. Please vote for the democratic centre'," Weber says. "The most important thing is that we have full transparency. As an institution, we have to make sure that no money is involved."
