The coalition of Ursula von der Leyen in the European Parliament is holding up, but it is looking increasingly fragile. Centrist, Socialist and Green members of that coalition are deeply troubled by what they see as an alignment between the conservative European People's Party (EPP) and the far right. And they say they want the EU Commission president to get a grip on the EPP. The entire coalition did come together to see off a vote of no-confidence in von der Leyen on July 10. But that support came at a price. Party group leaders insist their backing of the Commission chief is not unconditional and that they want to see a change in policy direction. That is exactly the line taken by our guest, Valérie Hayer, who is the leader of the centrist Renew bloc in the EU Parliament and a French MEP since 2019.
