SYRIZA MEP Kouloglou to ANA: striving for a Progressive Alliance in Europe

Candidate SYRIZA Euro-deputy Stelios Kouloglou said that he will "continue to work in the European Parliament towards forming a progressive alliance against the far-right, and to boost Greece's profile abroad, as I did when our country was a victim of negative stereotypes," in a Thursday interview to the Athens-Macedonian News Agency (ANA).

Kouloglou, who has been a SYRIZA MEP since 2015, said the candidacy of European Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager for the European Commission presidency is promising in that "she brings results when it comes to fining big multinational companies." Vestager is leading the campaign of Team Europe, a centrist political group in the EU parliament. Kouloglou was decisively negative about the candidacy of Manfred Weber of the European Peoples’ Party (EPP) but more positive disposed towards Frans Timmermans, of the Party of European Socialists, and even French conservative Michel Barnier.

The SYRIZA MEP underlined that the European Socialists have "take a Leftist turn," and have isolated Greece's Movement for Change (Kinima Allagis - KINAL), which is the only party in the PES that is explicitly in favour of a "strategic defeat” for SYRIZA.

Futhermore, Kouloglou said Alexis Tsipras is a “strong contender” for the Nobel Peace Prize - both on the strength of his handling of the refugee crisis and for the Prespes Agreement, noting that positive views of his candidacy have been expressed by Pope Francis, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, and MEPs from 14 countries and six political parties, including prominent members of the EPP.