‘You have a choice,’ says Roberta Metsola ahead of European elections

‘You have a choice,’ says Roberta Metsola ahead of European elections

Post By World EU Parliament, European elections 2024, European politics, European Union, Roberta-Metsola

The President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, reflects on two and half years in the hot seat, the recent migration pact and explains why voters should go to the ballot box.

Millions of people are expected to vote in the European elections in six weeks time and collectively decide on the future of the European Union.

Roberta Metsola, the President of the European Parliament, sat down with Euronews Correspondent Méabh Mc Mahon in Strasbourg to discuss her electoral campaign, her achievements and the impact of recent corruption scandals involving MEPs.

To watch this latest episode of the Global Conversation click on the video in the media player above or read the full interview below.

Méabh Mc Mahon, Euronews: President Metsola, thank you so much for being our guest on the Global Conversation. They say when you have small children, the days are very, very long, but the years are short. Do you have the same feeling, perhaps, after two and a half years as president of the European Parliament?

Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament: Well, I have four children. Some of them are smaller than others, and I would absolutely agree. If somebody had told me at the beginning of the two and a half years what these two years were going to look like, I would never have been able to predict how much we managed to achieve, but also how many crises and challenges we’ve had to overcome and handle.

Méabh Mc Mahon, Euronews: And on those achievements, what stood out for you? What was your highlight? What are you most proud of?

Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament: Well, in terms of an institutional perspective, we have managed to push through a huge amount of reforms, perhaps also to address challenges that we were met with head-on, in terms of how this Parliament will come back in July. I am extremely proud of those reforms, of the effectiveness of the way that legislation will be able to run tomorrow through this Parliament more smoothly.

From a legislative perspective, I would say the migration pact, which we thought would not see the light of day after almost a decade of being blocked, we managed to push it through, with a sometimes narrow but much-needed majority in this House.

The EU’s migration and asylum pact

Méabh Mc Mahon, Euronews: It was hailed indeed as an achievement by you, wasn’t it – the migration pact – after so many years. But nobody really likes it…

Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament: Well, I would say that the extremists don’t like it on both sides of the spectrum. Why? Because it is a balanced package which has solidarity as its focus. Reinforcement of external borders, working on returns.

Still, a lot to do with how we deal with third countries, that we talk to our neighbouring countries not only about migration, but also about investment, development and possibility, and we never forget that at the very centre of this package are human beings and migrants.

Méabh Mc Mahon, Euronews: Well, indeed, do migrants like the package do you think?

Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament: Well, we have to make sure it works for everybody, and that if there is somebody who is looking for a future because there’s none at home, then Europe will be able to look at that person rather than squabble between the countries, and almost face a certain death in the Mediterranean.

Political scandals

Méabh Mc Mahon, Euronews: And just on that note as well, you mentioned, putting out a lot of crises here as well. That was, of course, your job. You did, of course, have last winter that corruption scandal, where allegedly some of your members were under the influence of certain governments. How did it feel, when you got that phone call from the authorities to have to go to investigate, to go to the home of one of your vice presidents of the European Parliament, Eva Kaili?

Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament: Well, actually, I went to the home of a Belgian member of the European Parliament. This was a specific, I would say, ‘gut punch’ on that night in December 2022. Now, we had a choice that day, either we say that this is something that would happen in any Parliament or that we look at the party political colour or that we look at the country involved. But I refused to do that. I said this House needs to move on.

This House needs to make sure that if something like this happens again, then firewalls would be put in place and alarm bells would be sounded. It took a very long time, to go through the motions of what needed to be done.

This was, I would say unprecedented, and also unexpected. But once we did that, we realised as a house that we need to indeed reform in the way we do things. The status quo was always better. Pushing through that was very hard, but there was no doubt and here I am proud of the response of the members when they said, you know, we do not want this mandate, which is huge in terms of its impact, to be tarnished by the alleged actions of a small number. And I think that’s where we can say we are today.

Méabh Mc Mahon, Euronews: I remember very well, that you called it an attack on the European Parliament. And just moving from that scandal to another, you have just a couple of weeks before the EU elections, the so-called Russiagate, where some of your members here have allegedly been under the influence of people close to the Kremlin in return for money to therefore spread positive messaging about Russia. What more can you tell us about this?

Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament: Well, first of all, what I know for now, until now, we have something that we have been discussing, and I have been discussing this with prime ministers for many months now.

We have been alerted when we looked at national elections, that there would also be a certain amount of unprecedented disinformation, Russian disinformation in some countries more than others.

We continue to wait for information to be received from national authorities because this would require any waiver of immunity being adopted by this House. Investigations that would need to take place like we had, like had happened in the past and would require national authorities to ask. We’re waiting for that. And if that happens, we will do our job as we’ve always done.

Méabh Mc Mahon, Euronews: So you don’t know how many MEPs could be involved and some could be potentially running for office. They want to sit again in this chamber.

Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament: So far no names have been communicated to us. And we are waiting. We are waiting.

Why are the European elections important?

Méabh Mc Mahon, Euronews: And meanwhile, of course, as I said, these elections are coming up. Why should people vote? I mean, I know in this Parliament everyone will be voting. Everyone’s excited about the elections, but why should our viewers care?

Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament: Well, look at the chairs. They’re empty, but in a few minutes, they will be filled with, 705 today. 720, in just over a month, where those 720 are going to be making decisions for you. Now you have a choice. You either decide who you want to sit in these chairs, or you let others decide for you.

Those people sitting there from your country are going to be your country’s ambassadors
They’re going to be taking decisions that affect your everyday life, whether it is on decisions to do with climate, or on social issues. We adopt, for example, the Violence Against Women directive, a very, very big, let’s say pillar of legislation that we’ve been working on for many, many years. This is something you can affect with your vote every five years. Don’t miss out on that opportunity.

Méabh Mc Mahon, Euronews: And you’re on TikTok, right? I’ve seen you just joined TikTok.

Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament: Yes, my kids are not so happy going back to the first question.

Méabh Mc Mahon, Euronews: How’s it going for you? Are you managing to get the message out to the people and bring this Parliament that feels so abstract, closer to the people?

Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament: Well, there was a choice to have made. Do we go on to social media platforms that I say my children have been saying for a very long time, please don’t go on it, Mom. Four countries vote at the age of 16 and one country will vote at the age of 17.

We have seen and this is what I’ve done, going from one country to another, asking young people, where do you get your news? What I don’t want is for those young people to get their news potentially from propaganda or misinformation sources. So we said, let’s get on there, let’s get our message through. And hopefully, once those kids are scrolling through, they get something that says, oh, I like this, I’ll go vote.

Méabh Mc Mahon, Euronews: Okay. You pique their curiosity. And what about you? What’s your future looking like? Would you like one day to be the president of the European Commission or to run your country?

Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament: Well, this has been a privilege of a lifetime, to be able to have this responsibility that my colleagues have entrusted to me in the past two and a half years. I’m now working pretty hard back home because I need to run for my seat. And that’s my aim in order to be elected once again to represent the citizens of Malta and Gozo.

Méabh Mc Mahon, Euronews: And which elections are more important? The ones taking place in June in Europe or the ones taking place on the other side of the pond in November.

Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament: Well, all democracies deserve a good election and a good campaign. There are more people in the world who can’t choose their leaders, and there are who can. So we will be very much looking, to the November elections. But first, we have pretty big ones here, and I’m hoping that those big ones will return a group of members who will come here and say, we want to work for more Europe. We want to work for the better lives of our citizens.

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Does the European Union have the resources to match its ambitions?

Post By World EU enlargement, EU Parliament, European elections 2024, European Union, Political reforms

This article was originally published in French

Calls to reform the institutions to make the EU more efficient, more democratic and better adapted to contemporary challenges are growing.

Fifteen years have passed since the last update of a European Union treaty.

Signed in 2007 and into force since 2009, the Treaty of Lisbon clarified the division of competences between the EU and its member states, gave the EU its own legal personality and provided for the first time a formal procedure for the withdrawal of a member state from the Union.

Since then, enlargement has been one of the reasons regularly put forward by those in favour of reforming the EU’s institutions, treaties and budget, but it is far from the only one. The war in Ukraine, the digital and energy transition, the fight against climate change and social inequalities – these are all global challenges that require the EU to have a greater capacity for action, according to the Foundation for European Progressive Studies in its report “EU Treaties: Why they need targeted changes”.

Enlargement and internal reform have been regular items on the European institutions’ agenda in recent years. At the end of November, the European Parliament gave the green light to proposals to reform the EU Treaties. At the Granada Summit in early October, the President of the Commission, Ursula Von der Leyen, also called for enlargement of the EU not to wait for a change in the Treaties. Citizens also put forward recommendations and proposals on the future of the Union at the Conference on the Future of Europe, a series of debates held between 2021 and 2022.

In concrete terms, what proposals for reform were put forward? How would they be adopted? Here are seven key areas for reform.

1. Decision-making and enlargement

First of all, MEPs are calling for changes to the voting mechanisms within the Council. In order to prevent the institutions from coming to a standstill, they are advocating the generalisation of qualified majority voting in all areas where unanimity is still required.

Currently, a qualified majority is reached when at least 55% of Member States (i.e. 15 out of 27) vote in favour and when these member states represent at least 65% of the EU population.

MEPs are also calling for a more bicameral system that would strengthen the role of the Parliament and for a reversal of the current roles in the election of the President of the Commission: in future, the Parliament would propose the President of the Commission and the Council would approve them.

In order to prepare the EU institutions for enlargement, the “Group of Twelve”, a Franco-German working group on institutional reforms, advocates abolishing the power of veto in the field of foreign affairs, retaining a maximum number of 751 MEPs and extending the format of the trio to five presidencies in the EU Council.

2. Peace and security

The war in Ukraine has also highlighted “the scope and limits of the European Union’s power”, says the Foundation for European Progressive Studies in its report. While member states have deployed a range of sanctions against Russia and provided economic, military and humanitarian support to Ukraine, the war has demonstrated their failure to anticipate this crisis, their dependence on the United States for their own defence and their dependence on Russian gas imports.

The members of the European Parliament therefore propose the creation of a defence union with military capabilities.

3. Consolidating the rule of law

The defence of the rule of law and the democratic legitimacy of the EU could be strengthened through institutional reforms. To this end, the authors of the report “Navigating the High Seas: EU Reform and Enlargement in the 21st Century” recommend increasing budget conditionality and improving Article 7 of the Treaty on European Union (TEU), which allows a member state’s voting rights in the Council to be suspended if it fails to respect fundamental values such as democracy, the rule of law and human rights.

The European Commission first triggered Article 7 in 2017 againstPoland, when Warsaw was planning a reform that threatened the independence of the judiciary. In 2018, Hungary was targeted by the same procedure following concerns about the independence of the judiciary, freedom of expression, corruption and minority rights. Conditional on a unanimous vote minus a single vote in the Council, Article 7 has never come to fruition.

“Article 7 has not worked simply because if a country is accused of breaking these rules, all it takes is for another country to block a decision being taken against it. Hungary and Poland have protected each other on a number of occasions in recent years,” explains Daniela Schwarzer, a member of the Bertelsmann Foundation’s Board of Trustees.

4. Climate change

The Treaty on the Functioning of the EU already refers to environmental protection. In addition, MEPs called for the reduction of global warming and the preservation of biodiversity to be added as objectives of the Union. The Foundation for European Progressive Studies also proposes introducing a new exclusive competence for the EU in terms of international policy to combat climate change, which would enable the Union to negotiate environmental rules with a single voice.

5. Energy transition

Soaring energy prices following the war in Ukraine have highlighted the dependence of some European countries on Russian gas.

Members of the European Parliament are proposing the creation of an integrated European Energy Union to guarantee a stable, affordable and sustainable energy supply for Europeans. This strategy is based on five pillars: energy security, an integrated internal energy market, energy efficiency, decarbonisation of the economy, and research and the economy.

6. Digital transition

The Lisbon Treaty makes no mention of the term “digital”. Many experts therefore insist that the text needs to be updated.

The European Union has already adopted important texts on digital issues. The Digital Markets Act (DMA), for example, provides a framework for the economic activity of major digital platforms such as YouTube, Facebook, Amazon and Microsoft in the European Union. The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) protects users’ personal data. According to the authors of the report “The EU Treaties: Why they need targeted changes”, digital issues should be a shared competence between the EU and member states, in order to guarantee access to the Internet, the right to disconnect, digital education, the right to live without the need for digital technologies and the right to a safe environment.

7. Health

Finally, the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need for Europe-wide coordination and cooperation in the field of health.

A European health data area, equitable access to healthcare within the EU, joint purchasing of vaccines and medicines, management of rare diseases, and the development of orphan drugs are just some of the public goods that could be developed. These are all public goods that could be developed on a European scale if the EU’s competences were extended, according to the Foundation for European Progressive Studies.

On the other hand, some opponents of such reforms believe that these powers should be devolved to the member states and call for greater national sovereignty. Others sometimes consider that amendments to the Treaties are unnecessary because the texts already allow for some of these measures.

How are the treaties amended?

1. Ordinary revision procedure

The government of a member state, the European Parliament and the European Commission may submit a proposal to amend the Treaties to the Council of the European Union (composed of the ministers of the governments of member states).

The Council of the European Union in turn submits these proposals to the European Council (composed of the Heads of State or Government of the member states), whose President may choose to convene a Convention.

A Conference of Representatives of the Governments of member states is then convened by the President of the European Council to adopt the proposed amendments to the Treaties by consensus. These amendments must then be ratified by all member states.

2. Simplified revision procedure

The Lisbon Treaty creates a simplified procedure for amending the EU’s internal policies and actions.

This procedure avoids the need to convene the Convention and the Conference of Representatives.

Amendments to the Treaties must be ratified by all member states.

3. Bridging clauses

Passerelle clauses are a second simplified revision procedure used in two scenarios.

For legislative acts adopted by the Council of the EU unanimously, the European Council may authorise the Councils to act by qualified majority.

For legislative acts adopted by the Council of the EU under a special legislative procedure, the European Council may authorise the use of the ordinary legislative procedure.

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Charles Michel: We need to give Ukraine more military equipment

Post By World Charles Michel, EU Council, European elections 2024, European politics, President of the European Council

Euronews Correspondent Shona Murray sits down with European Council President, Charles Michel, to discuss support for war-ravaged Ukraine and the lack of consensus among EU leaders on the situation in Gaza.

The upcoming European elections, widely regarded as the world’s largest transnational vote, are set to bring about significant policy shifts, affecting the EU’s position on Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Israel-Hamas war, the transition to a greener continent and various economic challenges.

Over 400 million European voters will take the polls in June and elect a new Strasbourg-based parliament that will, in turn, appoint Brussels’ next line of top officials.

European Council President, Charles Michel will remain in his position as representative of the 27 member states at EU summits until his mandate ends in December. Michel had announced he would run for election but revised his decision at the end of January.

If he had been elected, EU leaders would have needed to quickly agree on a successor or allow Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, whose country is set to assume the rotating presidency on the EU Council in July, to lead the organisation.

As the EU budget comes under close examination, the bloc aims to reinstate pre-COVID fiscal rules aimed at limiting debt and deficits, Brussels is currently managing the consequences of borrowing approximately €807 billion over the past four years to mitigate the economic and social impacts of COVID-19.

To watch this episode of the Global Conversation, click on the video in the media player above, or read the interview in full below.

Shona Murray, Euronews: Forty-six per cent of voters say that they want less influence by the European institutions, the European Council, the European Commission and more power, particularly going to national governments. Why do you think that is? Do you think that represents some sort of failure by the institutions, a lack of perception?

Charles Michel, President of the European Council: No, I’m not surprised. But on the other hand, I know that many people across the EU, know, for instance, if we face COVID-19, that the answer, the solution will be at the European Union’s level – if there is an energy crisis, if there is inflation, if there are challenges related to climate change.

We need more European cooperation and coordination. And I think it is a mistake to try to oppose the national level and the European Union’s level. If we have strong member states, if we have a strong European Union, then it will be good and positive for all our citizens across the EU.

Shona Murray, Euronews: And on that issue of delivering peace in Europe, you said yesterday that if we don’t give Ukraine enough support now to stop Russia, we here are next, we have heard this a lot over the past two years, but it is resurgent.

We heard, for example, the Spanish defence minister saying she said she doesn’t think that people realise the grave danger we’re in right now. Why are you saying that right now? What evidence do you have, and what are you calling for?

Charles Michel, President of the European Council: I must first tell the people the truth. We are facing a huge challenge with this decision made by Russia to invade Ukraine. And it’s not only a challenge for the Ukrainians, it’s a challenge for all of us, who believe in the fundamentals of democratic principles. And I am absolutely convinced that this is a serious threat.

That’s why I feel that we did and are doing what’s needed. We immediately decided and we are united to support Ukraine and to sanction Russia, to put pressure on Russia. But this is not enough. We need to do more.

We need to act quickly. And it’s why, once again, we try to make concrete steps to provide more military equipment to Ukraine, more financial support for Ukraine and to put more pressure against Russia. This is needed if we believe in peace, security and prosperity which are the premises of the founding fathers of this European project.

Shona Murray, Euronews: But you’re going far beyond that. You’re calling for a war economy, essentially the mobilisation of all sectors of the economies throughout Europe. It’s a fundamental shift in the structure of societies.

Charles Michel, President of the European Council: Yes. And you are absolutely right that I want us to do more. Why? Because if we observe the last decades, this European Union project was built on the idea that we have common values and that we need to cooperate for more prosperity. All of us understand that we need to adapt our economic model. We need to invest much more in our defence industrial base to protect our stability and security.

Shona Murray, Euronews: But why are you saying a war economy now? Is it because of the situation in Ukraine that there’s a stalemate, that there doesn’t seem to be any significant gains predicted for Ukraine in the coming year?

Charles Michel, President of the European Council: On the one hand, I think it is very good that Ukraine succeeded in resisting and pushing back, but it’s not enough that it succeeded in taking more control of the Black Sea. This is very important. We don’t talk so much about it, but from a strategic point of view, this is important.

On the other hand, today this is not a secret that, Russia is in a stronger position from a military point of view in terms of ammunition and military equipment. And that’s why there is this sense of urgency, that we need to provide more military equipment. Now, not in two years. It would be too late. Now.

That’s why we concretely support, for instance, this Czech initiative. I commend this decision made by the Czech authorities to propose to many other countries, to purchase together military equipment so that very quickly this equipment can be delivered to Ukraine.

Shona Murray, Euronews: I want to move on to another major issue, which is the situation in the Middle East because obviously, part of your role as president of the European Council is to build consensus on complex issues amongst EU member states. And we’re seeing quite heartbreaking scenes in Gaza at the moment as a result of Israel’s response to Hamas’s brutal terrorist attack against Israelis on 7 October.

But we’re hearing things like starvation used as a method of war, as Josep Borrell has said, the monumental death toll on children and the lack of basic medical supplies for amputations. Has the EU been weakened by this? Do you feel that there may be double standards, that there’s not as much unity or sympathy for Palestinians as there is for Israeli civilians and Ukrainian civilians?

Charles Michel, President of the European Council: First, I’m observing that we are more and more united at the European Union level. But we should tell the truth. This was exactly at the beginning, following this, attack launched by Hamas. We were on the same page in the condemnation of Hamas. There’s no doubt that this was a terrible terrorist attack. But on the other hand, it was more difficult to have a unanimous position in the European Council. Why? Because our member states have their own relationship with Israel and with Palestine, their own history.

But what’s very important is, we are making huge progress. And I’m very confident that in a few days, we will be united with a very strong message based on two or three fundamental pillars.

1. Humanitarian access. No double standards. Each civilian life matters. It must be extremely clear. And all communication from the EU should be crystal clear on that topic if we want to be credible at the international level.

2. We must do everything to avoid any further regional escalation. Lebanon, the Red Sea. It’s extremely important to do everything from a political and diplomatic point of view.

3. We are fully in support of the two-state solution. And on this topic – 27 member states, agreeing without any ambiguity on this important question.

Shona Murray, Euronews: But do you feel that there have been double standards?

Charles Michel, President of the European Council: I feel I’m being very sincere with you. On COVID-19, we did very well on climate change. We are setting the tone. We are setting, standards and others are following. The war against Ukraine – we succeeded in getting united to have a strong position. When it comes to the Middle East – I accept the criticism, that it took more time to get united because, from a starting point, there are differences between the member states.

But in a few weeks, a few months, we will be in a position to make significant progress. And the trend, this is the unity, the direction is this – it is true that when there were some ambiguous communications from the EU leadership, it was being used by Putin, by the Kremlin to fuel this idea of, so-called Western hypocrisy.

And I engage a lot, you know with African countries in the global South: Africa, Latin America, Central Asia. And I can feel that those countries are expecting us on the EU side to be very clear, to promote always and everywhere, international law and rules-based order, including in the Middle East.

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Exclusive poll projects pro-EU grand coalition straining, but alive

Post By World EU Parliament, European elections 2024, European Parliament elections 2014

Rising support for the far right and a collapse for Greens and Liberals won’t change the fundamental MEP arithmetic after June elections, the groundbreaking Euronews/Ipsos survey found.

Support for the far-right is likely to rise in the next European Parliament, but pro-European parties will still hold 63% of the seats, according to a poll carried out by Ipsos for Euronews, published today (19 March).

The exclusive survey – of nearly 26,000 people, in countries representing 96% of the EU population – is the first of its kind in the run-up to landmark elections due in June.

The predicted results won’t change the fundamental calculus of the European Parliament, where centrists will continue to muster the majority needed to confirm officials and pass legislation, the polling suggests.

Yet parties from the radical and eurosceptic right could see significant gains, topping the polls in four of the EU’s six founding members – while uncertainties over party affiliation suggest there’s plenty left to play for.

With nearly 400 million eligible to vote, the elections to be held from 6-9 June 2024 to appoint 720 MEPs will be one of the world’s largest democratic exercises.

Despite five turbulent years during which Europe faced the pandemic, soaring prices and a full-scale war, Ipsos predicts remarkably little change in the fortunes of the EU’s two dominant political parties.

Pro-Europeans continue to muster a majority

The number of MEPs held by the centre-right EPP and left-wing Socialists are set to change by only few percent from their position today, according to the survey.

In third place will come a weakened Renew Europe, Emmanuel Macron’s liberal coalition – while the ascendant radical right-wing ID and eurosceptic ECR groups will plunge the Green party into sixth place, the poll said.

One of the first key duties of the next European Parliament will be to approve the President of the European Commission.

As such, the results spell good news for incumbent Ursula von der Leyen, whose EPP group seems set to top the poll with ease, securing 177 of 720 MEPs.

She could then secure the majority she needs with the support of two other major pro-European parties, including the Socialists and either Greens or Liberals, the results suggest.

But those numbers don’t tell the whole story, Fabian Zuleeg of the European Policy Centre told Euronews in an interview — as in practice parties and countries don’t always stay loyal in votes that are cobbled together on individual policy issues.

“It will become much more difficult to construct majorities in the parliament” if the centre is weakened, said Zuleeg, who is Chief Executive of the Brussels-based think tank – particularly on controversial issues.

That could lead to the European Commission depending more on non-legislative instruments like spending programmes or standard-setting, he added.

Rise of the radical right

With 30 extra seats projected between ID and ECR, the far-right would enjoy more of a rise than a surge – but that includes support in countries often seen as the most fervently pro-European.

National Rally, the French party led by Marine Le Pen, is predicted to gain ten extra seats, becoming the largest party in the European Parliament alongside Germany’s CDU/CSU.

The Netherlands’ Geert Wilders – the surprise winner of November 2023 national elections – will capture nine.

Giorgia Meloni’s Brothers of Italy party is projected to take 24 of Italy’s 76 seats, while In Belgium, two right-wing parties, Flemish Interest and the NVA, will take three apiece. Germany’s AfD party is projected to have 15 MEPs, putting it in joint third place nationally.

Those successes could have consequences for European policymaking, academic Cas Mudde told Euronews, with a tougher line on immigration and green laws.

But the far-right don’t always see eye-to-eye on issues like support for Ukraine, and a Brexit-style withdrawal isn’t on the agenda, said Mudde, a Professor at the University of Georgia, USA, who specialises in European populist extremism.

“In general, there will be less support for the deepening for European integration,” he told Euronews in an email, but added that “most far-right parties today want to transform rather than leave the EU.”

Greens lose support

Another potential change could be to the EU’s environment policy, as the bloc seeks to cut emissions by 55% by 2030.

The Green Party are set to lose 17 MEPs, according to the poll, mostly in France and Germany – while the EPP’s position has recently hardened against EU green policies.

But that doesn’t necessarily portend a climate U-Turn, given the EU has already set its overall strategic objectives, Jos Delbeke told Euronews in an interview.

“Major pieces of legislation have already been agreed,” and the next mandate will focus more on implementing them, said Delbeke, a Professor at the Florence School of Transnational Governance who formerly headed up the European Commission’s climate change department.

Dismantling the green deal “is going to be very hard to do” – despite rising farmer protests and some work still to do on tackling pollution and protecting nature, he said.

Uncertainties remain

Ipsos surveyed 25,916 people in 18 countries over the phone and online, between 23 February and 5 March. Those results were then re-weighted to ensure representativeness, and completed with documentary research for the remaining, smaller nine EU members.

But there’s still three months to go – and these are projections, not results. Even after the elections are over, there could be changes of allegiance or new coalitions.

One key thing to watch will be the role of the “non-attached” MEPs who don’t belong to any defined group, who the poll suggests could constitute nearly 10% of lawmakers.

Though a mixed bag featuring left-wing and centrist politicians, they also include around a dozen from Hungary’s right-wing Fidesz party, which left the EPP in 2021. Account for them and the parliament could see a right-wing majority – albeit by a narrow margin.

Likewise, the position of Italy’s currently unaffiliated Five Star Movement could prove key. If it succeeds in joining the Green party, as it has attempted to do in the past, its predicted 16 MEPs could significantly change electoral arithmetic.

Keep up to date with the polling for the EU elections with Euronews’ Polls Centre.

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‘What we have achieved in Europe is unique in history,’ says Greek PM

Post By World European elections 2024, European Parliament, Greece, Greek politics, Kyriakos Mitsotakis

Euronews asks Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the Prime Minister of Greece, what’s at stake in the upcoming European elections.

The EU elections will take place in June, the first since the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began and the ensuing energy crisis sent member states scrambling for supply diversification.

Consequently, major changes are expected to be made to the policies governing defence, health, the climate and energy over the next five years.

In this episode of the Global Conversation, Euronews’ Nikoleta Drougka sits down with Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the Prime Minister of Greece, to find out what the EU elections will mean for Europe.

To watch the interview click on the video in the media player above or read in full below.

Nikoleta Drougka, Euronews: Prime Minister, thank you for having us. The European elections are less than three months away. What are the biggest challenges for Europe, in your opinion, and what are the stakes for this election?

Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Prime Minister of Greece: I think these are particularly important elections for Europe as a whole, given the broader economic and geopolitical context. They’re taking place in a very turbulent period with a war raging on our eastern flank, with a substantial humanitarian crisis unravelling in Gaza, as Europe is exiting from a very, very difficult five years.

I think it is also an opportunity for us to take stock of what we have achieved during the last European electoral cycle and to highlight the significant successes of the European Union.

Through the cooperation of all the institutions, we’ve been able to defend ourselves successfully against COVID-19. We set up the NextGeneration EU, which for countries such as Greece, has a particular importance in terms of helping us boost our growth and also facilitate the green and digital transition.

Nikoleta Drougka, Euronews: How concerned are you with louder and louder voices that are against Europe, anti-European voices?

Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Prime Minister of Greece: I think there will always be voices that challenge the successes of Europe and indeed some of the, I would say, complaints may be justified. But at the end of the day, if one looks at the overall picture, I remain firmly committed that the future of the European Union is bright and that Europe has been able to deliver for its citizens.

And that is why we need to make the case regarding what we have achieved, but also what we need to achieve going forward. Because as you look at the next electoral cycle and the big issues that we have ahead of us, the ones that I would personally highlight are three. First of all, the need to turn strategic autonomy from a slogan into a real and effective policy.

Look at defence, for example. We not only need to spend more on defence, but we need to coordinate our defence spending. The second challenge has to do with overall European competitiveness. How we can ensure that Europe remains competitive vis-a-vis China, the US and the Global South? This will mean better jobs and better-paying jobs for European citizens.

The third challenge is to be more specific and more sectoral. It has to do with agriculture and our farmers at a time when food security is very high on our agenda. We need to understand that some of the steps that we took over the past five years regarding the green transition have put much more pressure than maybe we even anticipated on our farmers and that we need to make sure that the green transition is executed at a speed that does not significantly impact the income of our farmers.

Nikoleta Drougka, Euronews: Would you say that maybe sometimes the biggest enemy of the EU is the EU itself?

Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Prime Minister of Greece: Look, there are 27 of us, and I’m talking about the European Council, which gathers numerous times a year in a room and we all need to agree by unanimity. This is a process that inevitably has to take time, and which also involves compromises and occasionally necessitates taking a step back to achieve the common European good.

That is the nature of the European Union. At the same time as we are contemplating European enlargement, we also need to look at ways of making our decision-making more effective. That is also going to be a complicated exercise because any change will again require unanimity and the agreement of all Member States. One needs to recognise that what we have achieved in Europe is unique in the history of the world.

We have voluntarily given powers to a supranational entity and we need to make this proper balance, between decision-making at the European and national level, work every day. But again, this is, in quotes, the “price” that we have to pay for us to also reap the benefits of participating in the European Union.

Nikoleta Drougka, Euronews: You mentioned something about Europe’s defence autonomy, as a challenge ahead. Would you also say that it should be the top priority, perhaps, of the next Commission and Parliament?

Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Prime Minister of Greece: Defence is existential as we realised after the war in Ukraine and maybe some countries believed that the peace dividend that occurred after the collapse of the Berlin Wall and the fall of the Soviet Union would last forever.

But that has proven to be a fallacy. We were never in that position because we always spent a significant amount on defence because of particular regional geopolitical challenges. But now we understand that we all need to step up to the plate and spend more, but also spend smarter, be more coordinated, streamline our defence procurement, and have maybe more European champions that can offer advanced defence solutions at a more competitive level than is currently the case.

Nikoleta Drougka, Euronews: Prime Minister, previously we have seen some EU Member States – Greece is not among them – struggle to convince their citizens to go and participate in the European elections. Why would you say, is it important for people to go out and vote?

Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Prime Minister of Greece: Because what happens in Brussels and because who represents us at the European Parliament matters. The decisions that are taken in Brussels and Strasbourg are very important for our everyday lives, and we need to send qualified people to the European Parliament.

At the end of the day, the European elections are about the European Parliament – to ensure that the Parliament will be comprised of representative European citizens and will bridge this gap between decision-making in Brussels and what the European people really want.

The European Parliament is the most democratic of all our institutions and that is why participating in the European elections is important. We are a staunch pro-European party, so you wouldn’t expect me to say anything else. And of course, we are doing our best to mobilise people and to ensure that what traditionally is a low turnout election is going to maybe defy the trend and have increased participation.

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As Europeans prepare for 2024 elections, Ukraine watches on

Post By World European elections 2024, European Union, euroviews, Far right, Military aid, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not represent in any way the editorial position of Euronews.

This year’s election campaigns have shaken the status quo, and European voters will be anxious to see what transpires during the 2024 election season. The stakes could not be higher, Mark Temnycky writes.

When Russia’s full-scale invasion began in February 2022, many were sceptical of Ukraine’s success. “Ukraine probably cannot hold off Russia forever,” read one headline. “If Kharkiv falls, Ukraine falls,” stated another headline. “Kyiv could fall to Russia within days,” said a third.

Given these assumptions, Western countries hesitated to provide Ukraine with defence assistance.

They were fearful that, if Ukraine failed, Western weapons would fall into the hands of the Russians, similar to what occurred during the withdrawal of Afghanistan in 2021.

Meanwhile, leaked documents from the Russian Federation showed that the Kremlin believed it could take the Ukrainian capital Kyiv in a few days, and the entire country within a month. In short, the situation looked grim.

Nearly two years later, Ukrainians have proved their doubters wrong. To date, Ukrainians have successfully defended their capital, and they forced Russian soldiers out of the centre of the country.

Ukraine also reclaimed more than half of the territory occupied by Russia, making “steady gains in a set-piece battle against a heavily entrenched force” of fortified Russian soldiers in the south and east. While Russian troops still occupy one-fifth of Ukrainian territory, Ukraine’s success on the battlefield should not be minimised.

Russia’s war in Ukraine is not an action movie

Observers of Russia’s war in Ukraine should also be reminded that Ukrainian advancements are not a movie or a video game.

Despite a desire for instant success, the war will not be won quickly. Time and precision are required to ensure victory, and it’s worth remembering that thousands of men and women have already died protecting their country.

Despite these successes, the same critics who initially said that Ukraine would fall within a matter of days are now saying that the war is taking too long.

They argue that Ukraine’s counteroffensive has failed because Ukrainians did not liberate their entire country over the past two years, including Crimea and the Donbas.

Some critics also still believe that Ukraine has “no chance” of defeating the Russian forces in the south and east.

In these circles, the consensus is that Ukraine should be forced into peace talks with Russia, and that Ukraine should no longer be assisted in its defence efforts.

Most alarmingly, this argument seems to be spreading like wildfire.

Delayed assistance and blaming the war on others

Some warning signs are already here in Europe. For example, over the past two years, Hungary has continuously blocked military aid and humanitarian packages from the European Union to Ukraine.

Budapest has pushed the EU to cut back on its aid spending to Ukraine. Most recently, Hungarian officials stated that they will continue to block aid to the Eastern European state as Hungary requires “further reassurances [from Ukraine] before it would change its approach to Ukraine in any international settings.”

These attempts to stop future EU assistance packages to Kyiv include trying to halt Ukraine’s potential accession discussions with the EU and NATO.

These continuous roadblocks have delayed EU assistance from arriving in Ukraine. Without the necessary tools to succeed on the battlefield, it has impacted Ukraine’s timeline to force the Russians out as quickly as possible.

Hungary is not alone in these antics. Earlier this year, Slovakia held its parliamentary elections, where a populist party, Smer, won.

Smer, which is headed by a pro-Russian politician, Robert Fico, has now declared that it will stop sending defence aid to Ukraine. The party also “rejects NATO’s military support for Ukraine”. The party has previously blamed the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine on American manufacturing companies, stating that they support warmongering.

Like the Hungarian officials from Victor Orbán’s party, Fidesz, Fico and his Slovakian group believe that too much aid has been sent to Ukraine.

Populists and the far-right are gaining ground

Finally, like Slovakia, the Dutch also had an election that ended with alarming results. In November, the Netherlands held a general election. In a surprising turn of events, Geert Wilders and his far-right group the Party for Freedom won.

The party holds anti-EU and anti-Ukraine sentiments. It has also pledged to stop sending aid to Kyiv, although it remains to be seen if they will follow this plan.

The developments in Hungary, Slovakia, and now the Netherlands are no accident.

Simultaneously, similar movements are also spreading in countries with larger economies, such as France, Italy, and Spain, suggesting a pattern is growing throughout Europe.

According to a Pew Research Center study, populist groups and far-right movements are indeed gaining ground, winning “winning larger shares of the vote in recent legislative elections” across the continent. Why is this the case?

Heads will turn

Nationalist and anti-establishment rhetoric, as well as opposition to the war in Ukraine, is growing throughout Europe. Millions of citizens across the continent are concerned about the economy.

Others are discontent with their current leaders of government, and these voters are demanding new and stronger leadership. Some have even opted to improve their relationships with Moscow, believing that sanctions on Russia brought nothing but hardship.

It is important to note, however, that there are some outliers in this trend. For example, French President Emmanuel Macron successfully defeated far-right candidate Marine Le Pen during the presidential election last year.

Meanwhile, the opposition movement in Poland successfully defeated populist groups during the October general election. This suggests that, while the far-right is gaining ground, it can still be defeated.

Now, heads will turn to the various elections across Europe in 2024. Throughout the year, Finland, Slovakia, Lithuania, Iceland, and Moldova will hold their presidential elections.

Additionally, Portugal, Belgium, Croatia, Austria, Georgia, Romania, and the United Kingdom will have parliamentary elections.

Finally, the European Parliament will hold its elections in June. Based on the current political trends, some experts predict that far-right groups are set to perform well in most of these, while polls suggest right-wing and Eurosceptic parties might surge.

A different European landscape ahead?

If these far-right movements win in their respective elections, this would result in a very different European landscape.

The leaders and politicians of these political parties would look to turn inward, where they would hope to adopt isolationist policies in opposition to the EU.

Furthermore, like Slovakia and the Netherlands, they would seek to reduce or halt aid to Ukraine.

In addition, a number of European far-right actors have called for the warming of relations with Russia, meaning that they would disregard the fact that Moscow started the war as they favour peace on the European continent instead of justice.

Such policies would be dangerous for the European continent. Pursuing options to enhance relations with the Kremlin would signal that Europeans are ready to forgive Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, forgetting the atrocities Russian troops committed.

It would also set a dangerous precedent, signalling to Russia that it could willfully invade and annex the territory of neighbouring states without severe consequences.

This would only encourage other autocratic rulers across the world to act in similar ways and lead to additional conflicts and more bloodshed across the globe.

It feels like all-or-nothing

Fortunately, it is not all doom and gloom. According to a recent survey conducted by the European Parliament, 72% of participants believed that their homelands had “benefited from EU membership”. In addition, 70% of EU citizens think that “EU actions have an impact on their daily life”.

These figures do not suggest that most Europeans have anti-European sentiments. Instead, it indicates that they support the European collective.

Meanwhile, a recent Chatham House study also suggests that a majority of Europeans favour “policies that support the Ukrainian cause, while not supporting policies that would hinder the Ukrainian war effort,” and remain committed to taking a tough stance on Russia.

Overall, times may be changing. European citizens are increasingly becoming frustrated with their leaders and the economy, and they are hoping for changes in the new year.

This is allowing far-right groups to succeed. And as they are gaining ground across the continent, anti-European and anti-Ukraine sentiments are growing.

This year’s election campaigns have shaken the status quo, and European voters will be anxious to see what transpires during the 2024 election season. The stakes could not be higher.

Mark Temnycky is a freelance journalist covering Eurasian affairs and a nonresident fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center.

At Euronews, we believe all views matter. Contact us at [email protected] to send pitches or submissions and be part of the conversation.

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Tag: European elections 2024