Last night, a delegation of EPP Group MEPs was denied access to Venezuela by the Maduro regime. The Chairman of the EPP Group, Manfred Weber MEP, strongly condemned what happened: “Nicolás Maduro has shown once again that he is not a democrat and he is not the legitimate leader of Venezuela. He is denying his people freedom and even humanitarian aid, and he is afraid that foreign observers see what is happening on the ground. I call on High Representative Federica Mogherini and the Ministers of Foreign Affairs who are currently meeting in Brussels, to suspend the diplomatic credentials of all the representatives of the Maduro regime for the EU Institutions and the Member States and cancel the EU’s participation at the meeting with the Venezuelan contact group which is foreseen in the upcoming days.”
EPP Group MEPs Esteban González Pons, Esther de Lange, José Ignacio Salafranca and Gabriel Mato went to Venezuela on the invitation of the President of the Parliament. Their programme consisted of a wide range of meetings with representatives of civil society and political parties.
On the initiative of the EPP Group, MEPs recognised Juan Guaidó as interim President of Venezuela and have called on EU Governments and Institutions to do the same until new free and transparent elections are called.
