Giacomo Filibeck tells Euronews that von der Leyen's 'ambiguity' on the far right is 'not acceptable.'
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00:00 Socialist will not support the nomination of Ursula von der Leyen for a second term as president of the European Commission
00:07 if she permanently excludes two radical right groups from the core legislative coalition.
00:14 Speaking in an interview with Euronews, Secretary General of the Party of European Socialists, PSC,
00:20 Giacomo Filibec said von der Leyen's ambiguity on the subject during the campaign was unacceptable.
00:28 If in the negotiations we see that ECR or ID are playing a role in setting the priorities for the next five years,
00:38 then it will be us, Socialists and Democrats and Progressives, that will not be sitting at the table.
00:44 If instead we open up to the support and the contribution of the Green parties, we are more than welcoming them.
00:50 Filibec's comments come as von der Leyen, in the run-up to last week's elections,
00:54 expressed her willingness to collaborate with some lawmakers sitting with the hard right.
00:59 As the second force in the parliament, Socialists are now lobbying to obtain the presidency of the European Council,
01:05 which will be negotiated by the leaders of Germany and Spain.
01:09 One potential pick is former Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa.
01:14 I can tell you that we have many former and present prime ministers who have all the cards in order to perform with a lot of professional and dignity
01:29 the task of the president of the European Council. And Antonio Costa is surely one of them.
01:34 Analysts have also mentioned the potential choice of Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen,
01:39 former EU head of state with a track record of navigating complex negotiations, has traditionally occupied the role of the Council presidency.
01:47 [SWOOSH]