Politics

From the European elections of last month, a number of overarching trends can be identified among voters’ choices and behaviour. Although voting patterns varied between countries, a number of broad conclusions can be drawn which give some indication of the form the next Parliament is likely to take, and some of the key challenges it will face.

The Green Party in the European Parliament is set to count more than one MEP from Spain. In addition, Spain will be the southern European country with the most representatives in the Greens/EFA parliamentary group. This is good news, but there is still a long way to go to gather electoral support on the same scale as Greens in some other European countries.

A combination of low-turnout and a focus on national security issues boosted the far-right and the incumbent government parties. Despite the mixed message, it is clear the Poland remains firmly in the pro-EU camp.

The European elections have yielded mixed results, but it is clear that the EU is falling short in its aims to engage citizens. To address this, long overdue reforms are needed to make the EU more democratic, and a particular focus should be placed on youth to inform them but especially to provide real prospects for their future.

The UK media’s treatment of UKIP in the recent local and European elections gave the party ample space to air its anti-immigrant rhetoric and flawed solutions to the political malaise of many citizens, with the Greens’ victory marginalised and treated in terms of the larger parties’ decline rather than the rise of a genuine alternative in British politics.

In the face of rising populism, Europe must adopt an audacious approach that addresses the anxieties of citizens and proposes a vision of the welfare state beyond the nation state.

The polarised results of the European elections seem to indicate that new kinds of parties are replacing the traditional parties. This phenomenon was visible in Sweden, but also in many other countries across Europe.

With elections behind us, what kind of European Parliament is now being formed? The results paint a fragmented picture, with significant losses weakening the centre in favour of an increased presence of the radical right and left.

Using the symbolic politics of ‘government of the people for the people’, Orban secured a comfortable re-election. He skillfully captured shifting political moods, and helped fracture the left. However his future plans remain unclear, and Hungary may now witness a battle between right and far-right.

As the different European Parties unveil their election manifestos, we can see real differences in the direction that each of them want to take Europe over the coming years. The voters will have a real choice in next month’s European Parliament election.