European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen did not make the harsh remarks about right-wing Partido Popular candidate Alberto Núñez Feijóo that EL PAÍS newspaper attributed to her in an op-ed published on Monday, the EU executive said on Tuesday.
“This man has come here with no ideas, just to dismantle the government of his country”, von der Leyen reportedly said in private after Feijóo visited her to present his doubts about the government’s pension reform plans in March.
However, the European Commission quickly denied the comment on Tuesday, also arguing the author did not approach the institution’s press team.
“We categorically deny any statements attributed to President von der Leyen in this article. This is simply not true, and we wish to clearly set the record straight”, Deputy Chief Spokesperson and Director for Political Communication Dana Spinant said on social media.
As a response, EL PAÍS ultimately removed the comment from the article, arguing it did not follow the publisher’s sourcing guidelines but clearly stated that “the author of the article maintains confidence in his source in relation to a private comment”.
Whether true or false, these comments have fuelled the ongoing electoral war in Spain, with the socialists quickly using von der Leyen’s quote across media channels and the PP later accusing the party of spreading misinformation.
“In the face of the hoax, the truth. The president of the Senate, like so many other PSOE officials who have lied about this news, must publicly rectify it now. They are desperate and nervous, but not everything goes”, the head of the PP delegation in the European Parliament, Dolors Montserrat, said on social media.
Spain is set to hold general elections on Sunday.
(Max Griera | EURACTIV.com)