The EPP meets in Valencia amid discontent with Mazón

Although the timing seems sweet, given that the European People's Party (EPP) won the elections to the European Parliament less than a year ago – presided over by the Maltese Roberta Metsola, one of their own – with a notable advantage over the Socialists – 188 seats to 136, out of 720 in the European Parliament – ​​and leads the Commission – in the hands of the German Christian Democrat Ursula von der Leyen – the place chosen to hold its congress starting tomorrow, the city of Valencia, does not seem the most appropriate.

And it is not because on October 29th the deluge that fell on the region, devastated by floods that caused more than two hundred deaths – most of them drowned before the alarm sounded – changed the expected script and the Valencian Community, where the PP wanted to show its European partners its territorial strength in Spain, whose government narrowly escaped Alberto Núñez Feijóo despite coming first in the polls, has plunged into a colossal political crisis.

Following the floods of October 29, the Valencian Community is experiencing a colossal political crisis.

It doesn't seem like it, because the president of the Generalitat Valenciana remains the same, Carlos Mazón, despite his negligent handling of the tragedy—he kept his agenda and ate in a restaurant with a journalist, but from then on he has given different versions of what he did, while he wasn't answering the phone, until he arrived at the emergency control center, after eight in the evening—has squandered his career and his political future is bleak.

He remains at the helm of the Valencian government because the PP, which needs Vox's approval to present any alternative in the Valencian Parliament, and the far right has no intention of shortening Mazón's agony, but rather prolonging it with the oxygen provided by a new budget, has not found a way to proceed with his replacement.

The future of the Valencian president is very bleak, but the PP has not found a way to replace him.

Speculation about the appointment of a management committee or the holding of a regional congress—the solution proposed by former president Francisco Camps, who feels rehabilitated after his acquittal—has only served to strain the already tense relations between the Valencian PP and Génova, where it was not well received that Mazón, who came to the leadership with the previous executive, that of Pablo Casado, accelerated the pace to obtain the presidency thanks to an agreement with Vox that served as a precedent for the other regional pacts, now broken, with Santiago Abascal's party.

Those hasty governing coalitions between the PP and Vox, when Pedro Sánchez had already brought forward the general elections after the PSOE's defeat in the regional elections, are, for many analysts, the main reason why Feijóo, whom the socialist leader associated with the far right during the campaign, was left with nothing.

Neither the PPCV nor Genoa acknowledge any fear of possible citizen protests.

In this tense context, neither the PPCV nor the party's leadership in Madrid acknowledge any concern that the demonstrations called against Mazón, who has barely been able to set foot on the streets since the catastrophe, could detract from the meeting.

"We have no fears at all; quite the opposite. The fact that the EPP congress is being held in Valencia represents a reinforcement for the Consell's policies. We are delighted," the Valencian Government stated. "We are very pleased that our European colleagues are attending and very proud of the chosen venue," the PP national leadership concluded.

Feijóo's team tried to move the congress to Madrid, but the high cost of the move prevented it.

However, the truth is that Feijóo's team tried, arguing that Congress was in session and its members couldn't travel without risking losing votes, and under the threat that the government would take advantage of their absence to approve decrees, to move the venue to Madrid. But the high financial cost, the EPP argued, made this impossible.

Furthermore, in one of the few occasions on which the PP spokesperson in the Chamber, Miguel Tellado, has been seen expressing his gratitude to its president, Francina Armengol, whom he constantly targets with his invectives, the Bureau decided, out of parliamentary courtesy, to modify the dates of the plenary sessions and free up this week.

So, excuses are over; tomorrow is the moment of truth. The PP is preparing to host the EPP at a conference that European conservatives are looking forward to, according to party sources in Brussels. And where Catalan MEP Dolors Montserrat, spokesperson for the PP group in the European Parliament, will rise to the position of Secretary General thanks to "her professionalism and judgment," but also to her political hyperactivity: "She knows everyone: MEPs, commissioners, prime ministers... She's at every party and meeting," they praise.

With Montserrat's appointment as Bavarian Manfred Weber's deputy, the People's Party (PP) counters the power of the PSOE in Brussels, which, in addition to having a commissioner like Teresa Ribera, has also appointed Basque Iratxe García as president of the European group.

“We are with you, with the reconstruction”

The European People's Party (EPP) conclave will run from Tuesday morning, all day, until Wednesday until noon. During this day and a half of work, key EPP leaders will speak, including, of course, Weber and Feijóo. However, no announcement has yet been made as to the role reserved for Mazón, who, as host, is expected to speak at some point. "We can't cheat ourselves. Mistakes have been made," EPP sources admit, given the concern raised by the Valencian president's presence. However, the idea is to bite the bullet and for the congress to serve as a way for Valencians to know that the EPP is behind the reconstruction. "Today we are with you. We are going to pressure the European institutions to ensure that aid is delivered," they announce. And yes, the EPP, the party to which many of the prime ministers of the European Union countries belong, "will show their faces." “Let them beat us up, but we'll be there,” they challenge, recalling that Teresa Ribera hasn't gone to Valencia and Sánchez “ran away.”