As EPP party president, Weber oversees the European conservative parties that belong to the EPP umbrella family, including Spain’s Partido Popular, Germany’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and France’s Les Républicains. As group leader in the European Parliament, meanwhile, he’s in charge of ensuring that lawmakers from those parties vote as a unit.
Despite the controversies around Weber’s dual role, he’s well-placed to win reelection in April.
Weber is fresh from organizing an EPP show of force in Berlin, at which he rallied nine leaders and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in support of Merz.
In the wake of the Berlin gathering, Weber is set to win the support of both the CDU and its sister party, the Bavarian Christian Social Union (CSU), to which he belongs, according to an EPP insider.
The CSU and CDU together command a significant number of delegates who could be counted on to support Weber’s reelection bid in Valencia. The vote is by secret ballot and a simple majority is needed to win.
