Elections in the EU: the central issues of the European elections

Some 370 million voters are called to the polls from Thursday to Sunday in the countries of the EU to elect 720 deputies to European Parliament and give rise to the renewal of the bloc’s authorities.

Below are some of the central themes of this extraordinary election.

Scope of strengthening the extreme right

Polls predict a rise of far-right and nationalist parties in the European elections, following the victories of several of these formations in national elections.

In the European Parliament, the far-right bloc is divided into two: the Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) bloc and the Identity and Democracy (ID) bloc.

Beyond specific differences, the great watershed between the two groups is that the ERC parties view the EU as a union project with sympathy, while the ID parties are openly critical.

The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, candidate for a second term and candidate for the European People’s Party (EPP, right, the first party in Parliament), has ruled out cooperating with the ID parties.

However, she has hinted at being willing to work with ECR, much to the dismay of the Socialists and Democrats (S&D) and Renew Europe (centrists and liberals).

The bloc formed by the EPP, S&D and Renew constitutes the “grand coalition” of the European Parliament, where the main agreements are forged and allows the adoption of most laws.

The next EU leaders

The European elections from June 6 to 9 will define the new European Parliament, and the resulting political balance will determine the allocation of the main positions.

These are the presidencies of the three main EU institutions: the European Commission (the executive arm), the Parliament and the Council (which represents the countries of the bloc).

After these three positions, the most important position is High Representative, as the head of the bloc’s diplomacy is formally called. This distribution of positions will be defined at a summit of European leaders scheduled for June 27 and 28.

Currently, the EPP controls the Commission and Parliament, while Renew Europe heads the Council. The High Representative belongs to the socialist group.

The future of the Green Deal

The Green Deal is one of the most ambitious in the EU, due to its scope and capacity for transformation. But after it was launched, it became one of the reasons for protests by agricultural producers across the bloc.

The effects of this Green Deal are felt in both industry and agriculture, and it even has effects on trade agreements and agricultural imports.

In this context, the polls project that the Green party bench in Parliament could lose up to 40% of their votes.

Thus, in a Parliament with strong influence from the extreme right, the implementation of measures to combat climate change should be markedly more difficult.

The message for Ukraine

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine prompted European countries to strengthen the defense industry and their security, but the availability of resources is not so easy.

The EU proposed a new strategy, with a fund of 1.5 billion euros, to help manufacturers in the defense sector, but negotiation of that plan is not yet finished.

In this scenario, MEPs lack powers in matters of foreign policy and, therefore, will hardly have influence in the discussion of the most pressing issue, regarding the eventual sending of military instructors or, eventually, troops to Ukraine.

Impact of national issues

The election that starts on Thursday is divided into 27 separate elections, and in all of them national issues are at stake.

Thus, in France the power of President Emmanuel Macron’s party is at stake. In Germany, the parties in the ruling coalition (Greens, Liberals, Socialists) could be affected by distrust in the government.

In Slovakia, the attack on Prime Minister Robert Fico has shaken the campaign and could increase support for his populist coalition. Meanwhile, in Spain the impact of the agreements between Spanish socialists and independentists that allowed the formation of a new government can be observed.

In Poland, where Donald Tusk’s pro-European government comes to power at the end of 2023, the campaign remains marked by the anger of farmers, who have the support of the opposition party PiS.

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