Manfred Weber (politician)

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Manfred Weber (2019)

Manfred Weber (* 14. July 1972 in Niederhatzkofen ) is a German politician of the CSU . He has been Group Chairman of the European People's Party (EPP) in the European Parliament since 2014 , of which he has been a member since 2004. In the 2019 European elections , he ran as the EPP's top candidate for the office of EU Commission President .

Weber was a member of the Bavarian state parliament from 2002 to 2004 and was state chairman of the Junge Union Bayern from 2003 to 2007 . From 2008 to 2014 he was district chairman of the CSU Niederbayern . Weber also headed the CSU policy commission from 2009 to 2014 . Since 2015 he has been deputy party chairman of the CSU.

Life

education and profession

After graduating from high school , Manfred Weber did military service in Neuburg an der Donau . He then graduated to engineer the physical engineering at the University of Munich . After completing his studies, he founded DG Beratung GmbH consultants in 1996 and G + U GbR in 1998 . Both companies are active in the field of environmental and quality management and occupational safety .

Political career

In 2002 Weber moved into the district council of the Kelheim district and became a member of the Bavarian state parliament . After the 2004 European elections , he moved to the European Parliament .

Weber heads a forum at the CSU party congress (2014)

Between 2003 and 2007 Weber was state chairman of the Junge Union Bayern. On January 19, 2008, he was elected district chairman of the CSU Lower Bavaria with 97 percent of the delegate's votes and thus the successor to the former CSU party chairman and Bavarian finance minister Erwin Huber . In 2009, 2011 and 2013 Weber was confirmed as district chairman with 99 percent of the votes.

Weber is a member of the CSU Presidium , the closest leadership circle of the CSU, and of the CSU party executive.

In July 2009 Weber was elected one of the ten deputy group leaders of the European People's Party (EPP) in the European Parliament (EP).

In the EP, Weber is an alternate member of the Committee on Constitutional Affairs. He was a member of the Committee on Constitutional Affairs and the Delegation for Relations with India from 2009 to 2014 . As a deputy, he was in the Committee on Regional Development , the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs , the Subcommittee on Human Rights and the Delegation to the EU-Turkey Joint Parliamentary Committee and the Delegation for relations with the countries of the Andean Community .

From 2007 to 2009, Weber was EPP-ED coordinator in the home affairs committee and at the same time spokesman for domestic policy for the EPP group as a whole. From 2009 to 2014 Weber was chairman of the CSU policy committee . Alois Glück , Edmund Stoiber and Theodor Waigel held this position before him .

On June 4, 2014, after the European elections , he was elected the new chairman of the EPP Group with 190 out of 192 votes .

Top candidate in the 2019 European elections

Manfred Weber at the congress of the EPP in November 2018 in Helsinki, where he top candidate of the European Party for European elections in 2019 was elected

In September 2018 he announced his candidacy for the office of Commission President , which will be up for election in May 2019. At the EPP congress on November 8, 2018, Weber was officially elected as the EPP top candidate with 79.2 percent of the votes in a candidacy against his opponent Alexander Stubb .

Other engagement

Weber is deputy chairman of the Paneuropa-Union Bavaria and a member of the Europa-Union parliamentary group European Parliament and the Central Committee of German Catholics . In his youth he was involved in the Catholic rural youth movement (KLJB).

Private

Manfred Weber is Roman Catholic, married and lives in Wildenberg in the Kelheim district .

Political positions and controversies

Manfred Weber during a debate (2019)

Weber advocates an offensive and positive European policy of the CSU and was named in 2009 by Spiegel as one of the crown princes of his party. After the resignation of Federal Defense Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenbergs , he was again a topic of discussion in the press , alongside Ilse Aigner . After Horst Seehofer's withdrawal due to the poor result in the state elections in 2018 , Weber was considered a potential candidate for party chairmanship due to the cautious behavior of Prime Minister Seehofer, who, according to himself, did not aspire to the office. Weber, however, resigned with reference to his candidacy for the office of European Commission President.

Weber is considered value conservative. After the 2009 Bundestag election , which resulted in a coalition of the Union and FDP , he called for a Christian-conservative and liberal renewal: “We have to find our way back to credibility and reliability. And we have to sharpen our profile based on our principles. For me that means: Back to the roots, to the virtues that have made the CSU strong for over 60 years. "

Within his party, Manfred Weber advocates not only perceiving European politics negatively, but also actively helping to shape it in Brussels. The then Bavarian Prime Minister Horst Seehofer described Weber in 2014 after his election as EPP parliamentary group chairman as someone who is now "following in the footsteps of the great CSU Europeans". Due to his candidacy for the office of Commission President, for the first time in 40 years the CSU led a joint and decidedly pro-European election campaign with the CDU under a joint lead candidate in a European election in 2019, after priorities critical of Europe and a distance from the Europe-friendly CDU campaign had always prevailed until 2014 .

Weber usually does not use his German mother tongue in parliament and at public appearances outside Germany , but consistently uses the English language .

Financial sponsorship of parties

Weber told WELT at the end of March 2019: "European parties whose goal is to destroy the European Union, such as the right-wing radicals from Le Pen or large parts of the AfD, should no longer receive any money from European pots in the future." He told WELT that it is of course allowed to criticize Europe, and that each party should be allowed to put their own ideas on the future of Europe on the table. But there is no institution in the world that is so naive as to finance its own opponents. These anti-European parties would use EU taxpayers' money to pay for election campaigns, campaigns and posters aimed at abolishing the EU.

Accession negotiations with Turkey

According to Weber, Turkey could not become a member of the European Union. The country is moving further and further away from European values. He therefore wants the EU to end the accession negotiations with Turkey.

Rejection of anti-discrimination directive

In 2009 Weber spoke out clearly against a tightening of the anti-discrimination directive of the EU, because this threatens “a massive encroachment on the nation-state” and additional bureaucratic effort.

SWIFT agreement

In November 2009, shortly before the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty , which grants the European Parliament a role in the legislative process on an equal footing with the Council of the European Union , the Council negotiated an agreement with the USA on the transfer of European bank data to the USA (" SWIFT Agreement" ). In this context, Manfred Weber advocated the inclusion of parliament in the decision-making process and criticized the procedure chosen by the Council as unacceptable.

In this context, Weber called for a separate system for evaluating consumer bank data in Europe: "The key points for the EPP Group are a strictly limited storage period for data and information for those affected."

Internet politics and the NSA affair

Weber is an advocate of data retention and real name compulsory . He used the attacks in Norway in July 2011 as an opportunity to demand the deletion of extremist websites in addition to their introduction: extremist websites must be "banned across Europe".

In April 2013, whistleblower Edward Snowden handed documents to several media outlets that started the 2013 surveillance and espionage affair. Shortly after the 2013 federal elections , it became known that the NSA was also bugging Chancellor Angela Merkel and over 30 other heads of state and government. This was also the subject of the coalition talks between the Union (CDU and CSU) and the SPD. There were voices in the Union calling for tangible consequences to be drawn from the NSA affair. Weber campaigned to terminate the Safe Harbor Pact between the EU and the US.

Free Interrail ticket for young people

As chairman of the EPP group in the European Parliament, Weber made a name for himself with the demand (not yet implemented) that all EU citizens should be given a free Interrail ticket on their 18th birthday . The costs of around 2.3 billion euros per year are to be reimbursed to the transport companies from tax revenues, because: “It's also about bringing people together. We must ensure that Europe gets young people excited again ”.

Climate protection

Weber rejects a CO 2 tax . He relies on technological solutions. A CO 2 tax would increase the prices for driving and heating, among other things. Above all, this would have to be paid by those “who are among the weaker in society”. He does not want to regulate how often one can fly, but rather that Airbus build a plane that no longer emits CO 2 .

European refugee issue

In 2008 Weber was the rapporteur for Directive 2008/115 / EC (Return Directive) passed by the European Parliament , which regulates the return of illegally staying third - country nationals from the European Economic Area .

On January 5, 2018, Weber said at the annual CSU retreat in Seeon Abbey that 2018 would be the year for the “final solution to the refugee issue” at EU level. This solution can only be achieved with the Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán , who was a guest. Weber's choice of words was criticized because of their echoes of the language of National Socialism - " Final solution to the Jewish question ".

Manfred Weber suggests “a comprehensive resettlement program”. The EU must take in refugees and offer them protection if, for example, they have to flee a civil war.

According to Weber, however, illegal migration to Europe "must be fought with all force".

Rule of law proceedings against the Hungarian government

In July 2013, the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs of the European Parliament published the Tavares report , which criticized the erosion of fundamental rights in Hungary. Like the EPP, Weber rejected the Tavares report, describing it as a politically motivated attack on the government of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán , whose Fidesz party is a member of the EPP Group.

However, on September 12, 2018 Weber approved the Sargentini report of the European Parliament, in which the EU Council is called upon to initiate legal proceedings against the Hungarian government for violating the fundamental values ​​of the European Union in accordance with Article 7 of the EU Treaty. In his function as leader of the EPP parliamentary group, however, Weber was unable to agree on a common position for his group: 115 members of the group approved the Sargentini report, 57 voted against, 28 abstained and 20 simply stayed away from the vote.

In the run-up to the 2019 European elections , Weber failed to stop Orbán from launching a defamatory poster campaign against the President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker and billionaire George Soros . Finally, on March 20, 2019, the EPP suspended membership of Orban's Fidesz party .

EU copyright reform and controversy about bringing forward voting

Weber endorsed the controversially discussed draft of Directive (EU) 2019/790 , which, according to critics, contains upload filters (Article 13) and an EU-wide ancillary copyright for press publishers (Article 11). Against the EU copyright reform protested u. a. Numerous scientists, internet pioneers, civil rights organizations, business associations, internet experts from all parties (including the digital politicians of the CDU / CSU) and around 5 million signatories of an unofficial online petition .

The final vote on the reform in the EU Parliament was on March 26, 2019. Critics of the reform therefore announced demonstrations in various European cities for March 23, 2019. At the beginning of March it was announced that the EPP Group, with Weber as its chairman, surprisingly and contrary to the practice in Parliament, planned to bring the vote forward to March 12, 2019. According to journalists, Weber wanted to anticipate planned protests. Members of Parliament described this process as "undemocratic behavior". This is "a slap in the face of everyone who wanted to demonstrate on March 23". Civil rights and network organizations see the move as “damaging to democracy” and as a “catastrophic signal to everyone who wants to get involved democratically”. As a result, spontaneous demonstrations in front of the party headquarters of the CDU and CSU were called across Germany, in which up to 7,500 people took part. The plan to bring the vote forward was then abandoned.

Rejection of Nord Stream 2

As chairman of the EPP group, Weber declared in September 2017 that Nord Stream 2 had to be ended. In March 2019, in an interview with the Polish edition of Newsweek , he promised to do “everything” “to stop North Stream 2”. A few days later he said in an interview with the German news magazine Focus that he was “of the opinion that the Nord Stream 2 project should be stopped”. He referred to the sanctions against Russia and said that the pipeline to transport Russian natural gas was "a political and not an economic project".

Web links

Commons : Manfred Weber  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Christoph B. Schiltz: EU heads of government agree: Manfred Weber will not be President of the EU Commission . June 28, 2019 ( welt.de [accessed June 28, 2019]).
  2. ^ Board of Directors - CSU. Retrieved April 23, 2019 .
  3. ↑ "Self-confidence increases" , July 27, 2013.
  4. ↑ Manfred Weber on the Members' pages of the European Parliament
  5. ↑ Press release 2014: Manfred Weber elected as Chairman of the EPP Group
  6. ↑ Juncker successor: Manfred Weber wants to become head of the EU Commission . In: Spiegel Online . September 5, 2018 ( spiegel.de [accessed September 5, 2018]).
  7. ↑ zdk.de: Members / Individuals , accessed on February 24, 2017.
  8. ↑ Childhood & Family | Manfred Weber. Archived from the original on January 8, 2016 ; accessed on September 24, 2018 .
  9. ↑ Manfred Weber does not want to run for CSU chairmanship on Spiegel Online , November 17, 2018, accessed May 24, 2020
  10. ↑ Seehofer discovers the Anti-Gauweiler. July 18, 2014, accessed April 23, 2019 .
  11. ↑ Weber is the joint top candidate of the CDU and CSU on Tagesspiegel Online , January 14, 2019, accessed May 24, 2020
  12. ↑ European agreement on SZ-Online , March 20, 2019, accessed May 24, 2020
  13. ↑ A Union when it comes to Europe on Zeit Online , March 25, 2019, accessed May 24, 2020
  14. ↑ Portrait of the EPP's top candidate: The unwavering Manfred Weber on RP Online , March 27, 2019.
  15. ↑ Christoph B. Schiltz: AfD: Manfred Weber wants to cancel the funds for EU enemies . March 26, 2019 ( welt.de [accessed April 23, 2019]).
  16. ↑ "Turkey will never become a member of the EU" , last seen on May 18, 2019.
  17. ↑ CSU politician Weber calls for the anti-discrimination directive to be stopped ( Memento from May 31, 2009 in the Internet Archive )
  18. ↑ www.dw-world.de November 27, 2009: Does Europe allow US account espionage? .
  19. ↑ EU: No bank details for the CIA , handelszeitung.ch, July 13, 2011
  20. ^ Security debate after Oslo: Between the demand for network monitoring and the plea for restraint heise.de July 26, 2011
  21. ↑ Weber wants to have real names in social networks. Retrieved May 24, 2019 .
  22. ^ Debate after the attack in Norway: New threat, old recipes , sueddeutsche.de, July 26, 2011
  23. ↑ Björn Hengst: Data protection: CSU politician wants to terminate the Safe Harbor Pact with Washington . In: Spiegel Online . October 29, 2013 ( spiegel.de [accessed April 23, 2019]).
  24. ↑ Home | Manfred Weber. Retrieved October 8, 2017 .
  25. ^ Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung GmbH: EU Commission: Dispute over free Interrail ticket. March 27, 2017. Retrieved October 8, 2017 .
  26. ↑ EVP top candidate Weber speaks out against the CO2 tax , last seen on May 18, 2019.
  27. ↑ Complete and detailed dossier: EU Return Directive adopted by Parliament , June 30, 2008.
  28. ↑ CSU: No solution to the refugee issue without Orbán Bayerischer Rundfunk, January 5, 2018
  29. ↑ Spiegel online, January 5, 2018: CSU top politician Weber speaks of the "final solution to the refugee question"
  30. ↑ CSU European politician: Weber suggests resettlement program for refugees . ( handelsblatt.com [accessed September 16, 2018]).
  31. ↑ The illegal migration to Europe must be fought with all severity , last seen on May 18, 2019.
  32. ↑ Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs: Report of June 25, 2013 on the situation of fundamental rights: standards and practices in Hungary (according to the resolution of the European Parliament of February 16, 2012). June 25, 2013. Retrieved July 22, 2018 .
  33. ↑ Manfred Weber criticizes the Tavares report
  34. ^ The Sargentini Report in full
  35. ^ Result of the European Parliament's vote on the Sargentini report
  36. ↑ Juncker fights against new media campaign by the Hungarian government.Retrieved April 1, 2019.
  37. ↑ Orbán accelerates conspiracy campaign against Soros.Retrieved April 1, 2019.
  38. ↑ EPP suspends Fidesz party by Viktor Orbán.Retrieved April 1, 2019.
  39. ↑ FOCUS Online: EPP top candidate Weber complains of great injustice in corporate taxes. Retrieved April 23, 2019 .
  40. ↑ SPIEGEL ONLINE: Upload filter: How the government kindles the network anger. Retrieved April 23, 2019 .
  41. ↑ heise online: EU copyright reform: CDU / CSU digital expert tears up compromise on Article 11 and Article 13. Accessed on April 23, 2019 .
  42. ↑ Open letter: Broad alliance against European upload filter regulation. In: Zeit Online. Archived from the original on July 4, 2018 ; accessed on July 4, 2018 .
  43. ↑ n-tv NEWS: Critics are storming against EU copyright law. Retrieved April 23, 2019 .
  44. ↑ heise online: EU copyright reform: Internet pioneers protest against upload filters. Retrieved April 23, 2019 .
  45. ↑ heise online: EU copyright scandal: Dorothee Bär and network politicians against upload filters. Retrieved April 23, 2019 .
  46. ↑ heise online: "Death threats": complaints about lobbying overshadow EU copyright decision. Retrieved April 23, 2019 .
  47. ↑ Sign the petition. Accessed April 23, 2019 (German).
  48. ↑ heise online: Copyright filter: EU reporter Voss accuses opponents of “fake news”. Retrieved July 3, 2018 .
  49. ↑ Patrick Beuth: EU Parliament on Article 13: Conservatives want to prefer copyright voting . In: Spiegel Online . March 5, 2019 ( spiegel.de [accessed April 23, 2019]).
  50. ↑ Markus Reuter: Spontaneous demonstrations against upload filters announced in several cities. In: netzpolitik.org. March 5, 2019, accessed on April 23, 2019 (German).
  51. ↑ Conservatives suddenly want to vote quickly via upload filters - derStandard.at. Retrieved April 23, 2019 (Austrian German).
  52. ↑ heise online: EU copyright reform: EPP does not want to prefer voting in the European Parliament ... or at least ... or not? Retrieved April 23, 2019 .
  53. ↑ Upload filter: Spontaneous demos against quick vote announced - Golem.de. Accessed April 23, 2019 (German).
  54. ↑ Article 13: EPP does not want to bring forward a vote on copyright reform. Retrieved April 23, 2019 .
  55. ↑ Voting on EU copyright reform could be brought forward. March 5, 2019, accessed on April 23, 2019 (German).
  56. ↑ heise online: EU copyright reform: Spontaneous demonstrations against Article 13 and voting forward - "No more CDU". Retrieved April 23, 2019 .
  57. ↑ We have to assert and defend our “European way of life”. Retrieved April 23, 2019 .
  58. ↑ Kandydat na szefa KE: Nord Stream II to projekt czysto polityczny. Musimy go zablokować. Retrieved April 23, 2019 (Polish).
  59. ^ FOCUS Online: Manfred Weber: The dialogue with Viktor Orban is complicated. Retrieved April 23, 2019 .
personal data
SURNAME Weber, Manfred
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German politician (CSU), MdL, MdEP
DATE OF BIRTH July 14, 1972
PLACE OF BIRTH Niederhatzkofen