Economy, demography and security - EPP programme for 2026

A large international conference of the European People's Party has concluded in Zagreb. Topics of discussion covered demographic renewal, security, strengthening economic competitiveness, and changing the way decision-making is done in Brussels. In addition to the leaders of the European Union, several prime ministers were also in Zagreb, including those of Germany and Poland.

"Without people, there is no Europe, and without faster decisions, there is no strength," is the summary of the two-day meeting of the European People's Party members, who officially declared demography a strategic imperative and, at the initiative of Croatia, accepted the declaration on demographic renewal as an important part of the European transition, along with the green and digital transition.

As the longest-serving prime minister from among the party members, Andrej Plenković, explained at the final press conference, that dramatic aging of the population affects almost all aspects of our lives, and solving this problem should be taken out of the local framework and made a trend that will permeate all European policies.

“Without demographic revitalization there is no competitiveness, without sustainable housing there is no strengthening of young families, and the third topic, energy independence, means that without an independent energy policy there may be no European economy,” said Prime Minister Plenković.

Strengthening the European economy is one of the goals of the People's Party for this year, in a way that leaves as much money in the pockets of citizens as possible, cutting living costs with lower energy prices and creating better-paid jobs; so, less bureaucracy, more innovation and technology exports, with the message that the fight against climate change remains part of the agenda.

The most controversial part of the discussion was related to the functioning of the Union, so that it becomes a real "heavyweight" on the global stage in these uncertain times. In this context, the importance of a faster reaction in the current circumstances was highlighted by EPP President Manfred Weber, who did not want to clarify his proposal for a single boss for the whole of Europe, or the unification of the functions of the President of the European Commission and the European Council, in front of journalists.

“One of the issues on the agenda was whether the European Union is ready for the historic moment we are in now. The conclusion of the discussion is that the European People's Party should work on better implementation of the Lisbon Treaty. One idea is, for example, to expand the possibilities of qualified majority decision-making within the European Union. In addition, the focus of the future discussion must be Article 42.7, or the article on solidarity, in the event of a military invasion of a member state. We do not yet have a concrete plan for what this actually means in practice,” said Weber.

Plenković added that Croatia also advocates for a faster decision-making process, but believes that key decisions should be the position of all 27 or at least 26 member states.

Weber also called for serious consideration of French President Emmanuel Macron's proposal to create a European nuclear shield as a necessity to strengthen the continent's security. He also reaffirmed his unwavering support for Ukraine and his commitment to a lasting and just peace.

In these two days, the People's Party members have painted a portrait of a Union that wants to be younger, more muscular, richer and more efficient, but the party has yet to assert their dominance and the strength of the existing levers of power to dictate such a European direction.

Source: HRT