More than 2,000 delegates from over 40 countries, including the president of the European Commission, the president of the European Parliament, heads of state and government, presidents of parties and European commissioners who are part of the political family of the European People’s Party, meet on Wednesday and Thursday, in the congress in Bucharest.
The EPP Congress takes place at Romexpo exhibition centre in northern Bucharest, the meeting being hosted by the National Liberal Party in partnership with the European People’s Party.
The focus will be on German politician Ursula von der Leyen (65), the current head of the European Commission, who is the sole candidate to lead the People’s Party list in the European elections and, therefore, to win a new five-year term as head of the EU executive.
In addition to the election of Ursula von der Leyen as candidate for the EC presidency, the EPP congress will also adopt the electoral manifesto for the European elections on 6-9 June.
Eleven heads of state and government from the European Union are confirmed to attend the meeting, including European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, European Parliament president Roberta Metsola and EPP president Manfred Weber.
The 11 EU heads of state and government who will speak at the congress are Romanian president Klaus Iohannis, Finnish prime minister Petteri Orpo, Luxembourg prime minister Luc Frieden, Swedish prime minister Ulf Kristersson, Cypriot prime minister Nikos Christodoulides, Austrian chancellor Karl Nehammer, Irish prime minister Leo Varadkar, Croatian prime minister Andrej Plenkovic, Polish prime minister Donald Tusk, Greek prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Lithuanian prime minister Ingrida imonyte.
The event will also be attended by non-EU European leaders who are members of the EPP, such as the president of the Republic of Moldova, Maia Sandu, or the president of Switzerland, Viola Amherd, who will speak on the first day of the meeting.
The first day, Wednesday, will open with a welcome address by PNL leader Nicolae Ciuca, chairman of the Hungarian Democratic Union of Romanians (UDMR) Kelemen Hunor and EPP president Manfred Weber.
A debate will follow on „the voice of villages, cities and regions”, followed by Davos-style panel discussions focusing on three themes: security and defence; solidarity between generations; economy and jobs.
Then speeches will be held by non-EU European heads of state and government, as well as leaders of non-EU EPP-affiliated opposition parties, including Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya.
The first day will end with the presentation and vote on the EPP manifesto for the European elections.
Bucharest has also been host to a EPP Congress in October 2012.
Source: AGERPRES
