Furious EU civil warfare erupts as Ursula Von Der Leyen is blasted in fiery debate | Politics | News | EUROtoday

Candidates to be the subsequent European Commission president clashed over EU defence coverage throughout a stay debate tonight.

Danish MEP Anders Vistisen, for the far-right Identity and Democracy Party, claimed the difficulty is getting used to push for extra European integration.

Speaking throughout the Maastricht Debate, Mr Vistisen mentioned: “Let’s be honest about what all of this defence talk is really about.

“It’s about your imaginative and prescient to have a brand new treaty the place you abolish the veto proper and overseas coverage, safety coverage, taxation coverage, the place you need to create an EU presidency and the place you need an actual overseas affairs minister of Europe.

“This is sort of the camouflage the Ukraine war is being used by you to drive this European intergration through.”

But Bas Eickhout, for the European Green Party, replied: “To be very honest I’m getting a bit tired.”

The Dutch MEP raised latest allegations about Russia and China’s influencing members of the European far-right.

He mentioned: “Maybe earlier than you might be instructing everybody, clear up your individual home.”

Mr Vistisen accused his opponents of hypocrisy as he pointed to the Qatargate controversy in the European parliament.

He said: “Before that we had been seeing Qatar shopping for off your events. We had been seeing a excessive degree of corruption all throughout the European Parliament.

“Nobody has been more vigorous in wanting to implement stricter rules than the ID group. If there is a criminal case against any member of the ID group, we will take it seriously.”

Incumbent European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen added: “When I see what your AfD colleagues, the lead candidates, have carried out, they’re underneath investigation for being within the pocket of Putin, and in the event you take a look at the electoral programme, you will note that it echoes the lies and the propaganda of the Kremlin.

“So clean up your house before you criticise us.”