Metsola faces anger in Brussels as MEPs claim she is leaning towards far-right in seeking third term

EP President Roberta Metsola has been facing growing anger from centrist parties within the European Parliament as a reaction to a series of votes that saw the European People’s Party (EPP) side with far-right groups to block green rules and stop a planned visit to Italy.

On Wednesday afternoon, the Parliament group leaders met for a Conference of Presidents (COP), which was described by Greens Co-Chair Terry Reintke as “a shitty atmosphere” after the EPP aligned with the far right, according to Politico.

This comes after the EPP, backed by far-right and right-wing votes, blocked a planned visit by MEPs to Italy to assess the state of rule of law and fundamental rights in the country.

The first conflict came when EPP leader Manfred Weber walked away from an earlier deal to send MEPs to Italy to assess the rule of law and fundamental rights. The trip had been part of a wider agreement with visits planned for both Italy and Spain.

“Saying that other majorities can pass laws is not leadership. She should guide the EPP back to the centre, not cosy up to the far right,” a Renew MEP said in a Politico article on Wednesday.

Socialists asked why Italy would refuse such a mission, with S&D chair Iratxe Garcia asking, “What is Italy hiding to refuse a European Parliament delegation, with the support of the EPP?”

When the EPP and the far right voted the visit down, Metsola shifted attention by arguing that Parliament carries out too many missions and that these should be reviewed, according to officials in the room.

This has caused the sidelined centrists to grow uneasy about the leadership of Parliament President Roberta Metsola, according to a Politico article, only a month after reports suggested back in October that Metsola is preparing to seek a third term as European Parliament President.

According to Euractiv, the EPP believes it can take advantage of a weakened Socialist group and put Metsola forward once more, with Manfred Weber giving his full support.

If successful, Metsola would become the first president to serve three terms.

Euractiv has highlighted that she granted the far-right a moment of silence for Charlie Kirk, a murdered MAGA activist, by placing it alongside other moments, including one for the Manchester terror attack. She also did not block a debate pushed by the Patriots about migrants posing a danger to women and children.

Another clash came after the Parliament’s legal affairs committee voted to sue the European Commission for dropping its patents reform plans. The EPP, backed again by right-wing parties, stopped the move and pushed the matter to next week’s plenary, hoping to gather enough support to kill the case.

These decisions have posed doubts around Metsola’s leadership, with some Socialists and liberals fearing that she is trying to keep the right-wing majority close as she positions herself for a possible third term.

Renew lawmakers said they see her in “full campaign mode”, while pointing to recent decisions they believe show her giving ground to the far right.

Socialist MEP René Repasi accused Metsola of failing to defend Parliament’s rights, saying she had the power to go ahead with the lawsuit without consulting group leaders. “It is the duty of the president of the European Parliament to defend Parliament’s rights with all means,” he said.

Others refuse to speak publicly, telling reporters they fear repercussions.

Politico says that Metsola’s defenders noted that while not required by the rules, presidents regularly consult the Conference of Presidents on whether to sue other EU institutions, whilst an official has said the relevant service has for a year placed stricter limits to prevent unrelated topics from being pushed aside into resolutions and legal texts.

Metsola’s spokesperson Juri Laas said the president remains neutral and defends the decisions made by Parliament’s majorities. Supporters in the chamber also note that past presidents have asked the Conference of Presidents for advice on legal action, even if this is not required by the rules.

The European Parliament now awaits Metsola’s next move as a fresh proposal by Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to reform digital laws on Wednesday was welcomed by lawmakers on the right but rejected from the left.