On Friday and Saturday, 20 leaders and party leaders of the European People’s Party, as well as Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, will be in Athens to discuss the strategy of the European centre-right in the face of the important political and electoral battles of 2023 and 2024.

Thus, since in April 2019 Manfred Weber announced the official start of the EPP electoral campaign for the next European elections, a new campaign will start in Athens next to Kyriakos Mitsotakis for the 2024 European elections, again with Mr Mitsotakis as host. well, the prime minister.

The EPP Leaders’ Retreat, a closed two-day event hosted by Mr. Weber and EPP General Secretary Thanasis Bakolas, will open with the EPP President and Greek Prime Minister, setting the tone for the next political period. In it, the goal is to mutually support and unite the forces of the centre-right in view of the important national elections of 2023 – in Greece, Spain, Poland and Finland – and the European elections of 2024.

“Participants” will include, among others, President of the European Parliament Robert Metsola, former President of the European Council and EPP Donald Tusk, President of Romania Klaus Iohannis, President of the Republic of Cyprus Nikos Anastasiadis, Prime Ministers of Croatia Andrej Plenkovic and Slovakia Eduard Heger, Austrian Chancellor Karl Neuhammer and Minister Italian Foreign Affairs Antonio Tajani.

Meeting in a different setting and without time limits the regular sessions of the EPP, which usually precede European councils, will provide an opportunity for more meaningful discussions between leaders and party leaders, who will also discuss important European issues such as economic governance, defense and security and other political and institutional questions.

Source: RES-IPE