Voters from 20 countries, including Germany and France, will go to the polls on Sunday. After the elections, the race to choose the President of the European Commission begins The elections for the European Parliament have reached the final stage this Sunday (09/06), when voters from 20 of the 27 countries of the European Union (EU) will compete . Germany, France, Spain and Sweden are also at the polls. Since Thursday, Europeans have been voting to choose new deputies.
Around 350 million voters will elect 720 representatives from the bloc’s 27 member countries. Elections have begun in the Netherlands, but it is this Sunday that most countries will vote to determine the direction of European politics for the next five years.
Each country in the European Union is entitled to a certain number of seats in the European Parliament, based on its size, but not strictly proportional to its population. As the most populous bloc member, Germany is represented by 96 deputies. Smaller countries, such as Cyprus, Malta and Luxembourg, are entitled to six deputies each.
Peacekeeping, social security and immigration are the main issues of this election for German voters, according to a May poll conducted by German public television ARD. According to April’s Eurobarometer survey, most Europeans believe that fighting poverty and health are the most important issues, followed by boosting the economy, creating jobs and the bloc’s security and defense policy.
The main tasks of the European Parliament
In many areas, such as environmental protection and migration and economic policies, the European Parliament is one of the two legislators. MEPs must always approve new laws together with the Council of the European Union, which represents the 27 member countries. On other issues, such as security and defense policy, the European Parliament is only informed and consulted. The body does not normally present legislative proposals, this task falls to the European Commission.
According to Eurobarometer, 70% of respondents said that the EU influences their daily lives. However, voter turnout in European elections is often low. In the previous elections, in 2019, the 50% threshold was exceeded after a long time.
What happens after the elections
Just over a week after the elections, on 17 June, EU heads of state and government will meet for an informal European Council meeting in Brussels. The goal is to reach an agreement to fill the main positions in the European Union, including that of president of the European Commission.
The bloc’s treaties require EU heads of state and government to nominate the candidates. The next ordinary meeting of the European Council is scheduled for the end of June.
To choose, one can use the “leadership principle”, according to which the parliamentary group with the majority of seats would assume the presidency of the European Commission. If this system were followed, Ursula von der Leyen, current candidate of the European People’s Party (EPP), would have the best chances, according to the latest polls on voting intentions.
After the nomination, the future President of the European Commission is elected by a simple majority in the European Parliament.
Bargaining has already started
Negotiations for this majority have already begun in Brussels. In a televised debate, von der Leyen said he will work with MEPs who are clearly in favor of Europe and the rule of law and who support Ukraine. He includes in this group the ultra-right Georgia Meloni, Prime Minister of Italy. Von der Leyen, however, ruled out cooperation with the French National Rally (RN) party, led by Marine Le Pen.
So far these two far-right parties belong to different parliamentary groups. Le Pen’s party is part of the parliamentary group Identity and Democracy (ID), while Brothers of Italy, Meloni’s party, is part of the European Reformists and Conservatives (ECR).
The approach to right field is not without danger for von der Leyen. He could lose votes from other groups, for example among the Social Democrats.
The results of Sunday’s elections will reveal whether the hypothetical expansion of the far-right’s presence in the European Parliament has been achieved. This increase in itself does not guarantee the unification of right-wing populist parties into a single constituency, as Le Pen seeks. According to election polls, far-right parties could become the second force in the European Parliament.
The new European Parliament will meet for the first time on 16 July in Strasbourg. At that point the new configuration and size of parliamentary seats should be clear.
Source: Terra
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