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Tory's pan-European group riles Merkel by admitting anti-euro German party
Relations between Cameron and Merkel suffer setback after vote to admit Alternative für Deutschland into ECR group
theguardian.com, Thursday 12 June 2014 13.59 BST
The German chancellor, Angela Merkel, is unlikely to be amused that a group set up by the Tories has given a platform to her opponents. Photograph: Maja Suslin/AP
Relations between David Cameron and Angela Merkel have suffered a major setback after the pan-European group established by the Tories in the European parliament voted to admit a new anti-euro German party.
The European Conservatives and Reformists Group, established after Cameron abandoned the main centre-right EPP-ED group, voted to admit the Alternative für Deutschland, which is regarded as a threat to the German chancellor.
The vote led to an immediate backlash in Germany. The financial dailyHandeslblatt led its website with a story under the headline: "Britain knights the AfD."
The Tory leadership moved to distance itself from the move by saying that Conservative party MEPs had been outvoted by other members of the ECR, which includes a large contingent from Poland's Law and Justice party. A small number of Conservative MEPs supported the admission of the seven AfD MEPs in the vote which was passed narrowly, by 29 to 26.
Merkel, who has been irritated by Cameron's hardline opposition to Jean-Claude Juncker as the next European commission president, is unlikely to be amused that a group set up by the Tories has given a platform to her opponents. Cameron established the ECR after leaving the EPP-ED group, whose largest contingent is Merkel's CDU party.
The ECR tweeted: "Welcome to the @AfD_Bund party which has joined the ECR Group this morning."
A spokesman for the Conservative party pointed out that the vote was narrow. The spokesman said: "We are very disappointed that AfD have been admitted into the ECR against our wishes. We note that the vote was a close one. We will work with the AfD in the European parliament but the CDU/CSU remains our only sister party in Germany."
Greg Hands, the German-speaking Tory deputy chief whip at Westminster, tweeted: "Mistake in my view to allow German AfD into the ECR group. Strong relations with @cducsu in Conservatives' & UK's long term interests." This was retweeted by David Lidington, the Europeminister.
The vote to admit the AfD, plus the admission of a Bulgarian MEP, means that the ECR now has 63 MEPs. This makes it the third largest group in the European parliament ahead of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE). Syed Kamall, the Tory MEP who has been elected as head of the ECR, will be able to speak in formal European parliament debates after the leaders of the EPP-ED and the Socialists.
The admission of the AfD into the Tory group will complicate Cameron's efforts to form a strong working relationship with Merkel in the run up to the renegotiation of Britain's EU membership terms ahead of an in/out referendum in 2017 if the Tories win the general election. The prime minister told Merkel at a Downing Street press conference in January that he regarded her CDU party as the Tories' sister party after the Guardian reported that hardline Tories were working to admit the AfD into the ECR group.
The pro-reform Open Europe thinktank warned that admitting the AfD would complicate Cameron's negotiations with Merkel. In a blog, Open Europe said: "Berlin is London's most important ally in achieving a reformed EU. And news of the AfD in the Tories' Conservative group could prove to be a major stumbling block in that process."
The Tories have also admitted two other controversial parties to the group – the Danish People's Party and the True Finns. A spokesman for the Danish People's Party, which is fiercely anti-immigration and had been part of the pan-European group established by Ukip in the last parliament, once likened the Muslim headscarf to the swastika.
The admission of the Danish People's Party to the Tory ECR group may lead to Ukip failing to re-establish its pan-European group in the parliament and having to sit with the non-aligned groups. There are reports that Italy's Northern League may also leave the Ukip group to join the new group being established by the French Front National.
Gareth Thomas, the shadow Europe minister, said of the vote to admit the AfD: "Just when the prime minister needs to maximise British influence in Europe, his MEPs have instead chosen to isolate themselves to the fringes of Europe and alienate our allies. What started as a political management problem for David Cameron risks turning into a crisis between Britain and one of our most crucial European allies. David Cameron can't control his party over Europe, and now it is Britain's influence and standing in Europe that is at risk of being undermined as a result."
The vote came as the former Tory minister Bob Neill announced that he would re-introduce a private member's bill to allow an in/out referendum on Britain's EU membership to held by the end of 2017. Neill made his announcement after coming third in the private member's bill ballot.
The bill, introduced by James Wharton in the last session of parliament, was killed off by peers. If it enters the Lords in the same form as it did last year then the bill will enter law under the Parliament Act.
==
this is quite significant merkel cant stand if she has competition in germany. She moved her party in a huge left direction to out compete the left in her county as she thought she wouldnt have competition herself, she thought germans are too liberal to vote something more right wing than her own christ democratic party but recent EU election gave light to the AFD.
Usually the mainstream media tried to portray the AFD as some nazis and so did her party so far, but they completely failed and pay the price now. And now with excepting the AFD into camerons party this will establish the AFD even more as conservative alternative to merkels party in germany.
Merkel maybe bashes other countries about democracy but shes a complete control freak in her own country, i mean just look at here she tried to use her positions as a leader to undermine a party in germany with her relationship with Cameron.
Relations between Cameron and Merkel suffer setback after vote to admit Alternative für Deutschland into ECR group
theguardian.com, Thursday 12 June 2014 13.59 BST
The German chancellor, Angela Merkel, is unlikely to be amused that a group set up by the Tories has given a platform to her opponents. Photograph: Maja Suslin/AP
Relations between David Cameron and Angela Merkel have suffered a major setback after the pan-European group established by the Tories in the European parliament voted to admit a new anti-euro German party.
The European Conservatives and Reformists Group, established after Cameron abandoned the main centre-right EPP-ED group, voted to admit the Alternative für Deutschland, which is regarded as a threat to the German chancellor.
The vote led to an immediate backlash in Germany. The financial dailyHandeslblatt led its website with a story under the headline: "Britain knights the AfD."
The Tory leadership moved to distance itself from the move by saying that Conservative party MEPs had been outvoted by other members of the ECR, which includes a large contingent from Poland's Law and Justice party. A small number of Conservative MEPs supported the admission of the seven AfD MEPs in the vote which was passed narrowly, by 29 to 26.
Merkel, who has been irritated by Cameron's hardline opposition to Jean-Claude Juncker as the next European commission president, is unlikely to be amused that a group set up by the Tories has given a platform to her opponents. Cameron established the ECR after leaving the EPP-ED group, whose largest contingent is Merkel's CDU party.
The ECR tweeted: "Welcome to the @AfD_Bund party which has joined the ECR Group this morning."
A spokesman for the Conservative party pointed out that the vote was narrow. The spokesman said: "We are very disappointed that AfD have been admitted into the ECR against our wishes. We note that the vote was a close one. We will work with the AfD in the European parliament but the CDU/CSU remains our only sister party in Germany."
Greg Hands, the German-speaking Tory deputy chief whip at Westminster, tweeted: "Mistake in my view to allow German AfD into the ECR group. Strong relations with @cducsu in Conservatives' & UK's long term interests." This was retweeted by David Lidington, the Europeminister.
The vote to admit the AfD, plus the admission of a Bulgarian MEP, means that the ECR now has 63 MEPs. This makes it the third largest group in the European parliament ahead of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE). Syed Kamall, the Tory MEP who has been elected as head of the ECR, will be able to speak in formal European parliament debates after the leaders of the EPP-ED and the Socialists.
The admission of the AfD into the Tory group will complicate Cameron's efforts to form a strong working relationship with Merkel in the run up to the renegotiation of Britain's EU membership terms ahead of an in/out referendum in 2017 if the Tories win the general election. The prime minister told Merkel at a Downing Street press conference in January that he regarded her CDU party as the Tories' sister party after the Guardian reported that hardline Tories were working to admit the AfD into the ECR group.
The pro-reform Open Europe thinktank warned that admitting the AfD would complicate Cameron's negotiations with Merkel. In a blog, Open Europe said: "Berlin is London's most important ally in achieving a reformed EU. And news of the AfD in the Tories' Conservative group could prove to be a major stumbling block in that process."
The Tories have also admitted two other controversial parties to the group – the Danish People's Party and the True Finns. A spokesman for the Danish People's Party, which is fiercely anti-immigration and had been part of the pan-European group established by Ukip in the last parliament, once likened the Muslim headscarf to the swastika.
The admission of the Danish People's Party to the Tory ECR group may lead to Ukip failing to re-establish its pan-European group in the parliament and having to sit with the non-aligned groups. There are reports that Italy's Northern League may also leave the Ukip group to join the new group being established by the French Front National.
Gareth Thomas, the shadow Europe minister, said of the vote to admit the AfD: "Just when the prime minister needs to maximise British influence in Europe, his MEPs have instead chosen to isolate themselves to the fringes of Europe and alienate our allies. What started as a political management problem for David Cameron risks turning into a crisis between Britain and one of our most crucial European allies. David Cameron can't control his party over Europe, and now it is Britain's influence and standing in Europe that is at risk of being undermined as a result."
The vote came as the former Tory minister Bob Neill announced that he would re-introduce a private member's bill to allow an in/out referendum on Britain's EU membership to held by the end of 2017. Neill made his announcement after coming third in the private member's bill ballot.
The bill, introduced by James Wharton in the last session of parliament, was killed off by peers. If it enters the Lords in the same form as it did last year then the bill will enter law under the Parliament Act.
==
this is quite significant merkel cant stand if she has competition in germany. She moved her party in a huge left direction to out compete the left in her county as she thought she wouldnt have competition herself, she thought germans are too liberal to vote something more right wing than her own christ democratic party but recent EU election gave light to the AFD.
Usually the mainstream media tried to portray the AFD as some nazis and so did her party so far, but they completely failed and pay the price now. And now with excepting the AFD into camerons party this will establish the AFD even more as conservative alternative to merkels party in germany.
Merkel maybe bashes other countries about democracy but shes a complete control freak in her own country, i mean just look at here she tried to use her positions as a leader to undermine a party in germany with her relationship with Cameron.
