Othmar Karas Warns Against Extremism and Emphasizes the Importance of the Political Center in Europe

PeopleOther ♦ Published: May 27, 2024; 23:56 ♦ (Vindobona)

Around two weeks before the EU elections, the outgoing first Vice-President of the European Parliament, Othmar Karas (nor ÖVP), issued an urgent warning about the dangers of "extremism and nationalism". At a press conference at the party headquarters of the South Tyrolean People's Party (SVP) in Bolzano, Karas emphasized the need for a strong "political center" characterized by cooperation and compromise.

During the run-up to the EU elections, from two weeks prior, Othmar Karas (VP) often warned against "extremism and nationalism" while advocating "political center". / Picture: © EPP Group / Flickr Attribution (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 DEED, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/)

Karas, who is no longer standing for election this time after differences with the ÖVP, criticized the extreme political forces on the right and left, as reported by ORF. In his opinion "only criticize and apportion blame". He also warned against external forces trying to destabilize Europe. In his speech, he emphasized that…