Right before the European elections, I had the opportunity to talk to Jean Asselborn about the prospects after the elections and the chances of success for the right-wing parties.
Luxembourg's former foreign minister explained: "We are having exactly the same debates this year as we had five years ago." For him, the right-wing radicals are also the anti-Europeans. He emphasised that the election would be a successful one if European voters showed that the wheel of history must not be turned back. The European Union must not become an simple addition of interests, says Jean Asselborn.
In each of his sentences, you can tell how passionately he defends the European cause and how important Europe's achievements are to him. I also spoke to him about the role of Germany and France within the European Union, the current difficulties facing the Union and the hurdles that must be tackled together in the future.
We also discussed the possible consequences for EU policy if populist forces were to gain further influence. We talked about the need to actively defend democracy and the values of the EU and to emphasise the importance of a united Europe in an increasingly polarised world.
