Which way will the European Parliament election results lead the Union?
Mehr News, International Group: Citizens of 27 European countries on the fourth and last day of the European Parliament elections to elect their 720 representatives in The European Parliament went to the polls on Sunday, June 9. According to reports, between 360 and 373 million citizens of the European Union, from Finland in the north to Cyprus in the south, Ireland in the west to Bulgaria in the east, were eligible to participate in the elections and vote.
In most countries of the European Union, you have to be 18 years old to vote, but in Germany, Austria, Belgium and Malta this number has been reduced to 16 years and in Greece to 17 years. Of course, in a few countries, including Luxembourg and Bulgaria, voting is even mandatory.
There are questions about the European Parliament, some of which are tried to be answered in this report.
What institution is the European Parliament?
The European Parliament is the only directly elected supranational assembly in the world. The members of the European Parliament represent the various political, economic and cultural interests and tendencies of all citizens of the Union at the European level.
Why are European Parliament elections important?
The importance of the European Parliament comes from the position and special work of this legislative body, which is due to the authority of this body. The representatives of the European Parliament, together with the representatives of the governments of the EU countries, form new laws and make decisions about them, which will be a law to be implemented in all member states of this economic-political bloc, which naturally affects all aspects of life throughout the European Union. From supporting the economy and fighting poverty to climate change and security.
In addition, the representatives of the European Parliament have focused on important political, economic and social issues and their stated goals in the European Union such as prosperity and continued development, human rights, freedom They pursue democracy, equality and the rule of law. This parliament, which has more than 700 members, approves the EU budget and even examines the way the budget is spent. Also, the President of the European Commission is elected by the Parliament and appoints its commissioners.
European elections are held every five years, the last of which was held in May 2019, and due to the size of the continent, the current elections were held on June 6-9, 2024.
How many members of the European Parliament are elected?
In total, 720 members of the European Parliament are supposed to enter the European Parliament after obtaining the maximum number of votes in the current elections, which number will be 15 more than the previous elections. As a general rule, the number of MEPs is determined before each election period, but the total cannot exceed 750 plus the President of the Parliament.
How many representatives from each European country get into the European Parliament?
According to the latest decisions, the number of representatives who enter this parliament from each European country is different based on the population of the countries and is calculated as follows in the current 2024 elections:
Germany: 96 people
France: 81
Italy: 76
Spain: 61
Poland: 53
Romania: 33
Netherlands: 31
Belgium: 22
Greece: 21
Czech Republic: 21
Sweden: 21
Portugal: 21
Hungary: 21
Austria: 20
Bulgaria: 17
Denmark: 15
Finland: 15
Slovakia: 15
Ireland: 14
Croatia: 12
br/> Lithuania: 11
Slovenia: 9
Latvia: 9
Estonia: 7
Cyprus: 6
Luxembourg: 6
Malta: 6
The number of MEPs to be elected from each country is agreed before each election and is based on the principle of descending proportionality, meaning that an MEP from a larger country represents more people than an MEP from a smaller one. It is a smaller country. The minimum number of representatives of the European Parliament from each country is 6 and the maximum is 96.
But in response to the question, which European institutions are these representatives chosen from? It should be said that the elections are implemented with the competition of national political parties in European countries, but after the election of European Parliament representatives, most of them are considered members of transnational political groups. Of course, most national parties are affiliated to a political party throughout Europe.
What are the political groups in the European Parliament?
The representatives of the European Parliament are placed in the dedicated political groups in the Parliament based on common ideals. Each group includes at least 23 members of the European Parliament from at least a quarter of the EU countries, and there are seven groups in the current parliament.
What will happen after the European Parliament elections?
Elected representatives from political parties throughout Europe try to form political groups after entering the European Parliament. The new Parliament elects the Secretary General at its first plenary session, where all members of the European Parliament meet. In the next session, the Parliament elects the new president of the European Commission, and in the third stage, the commissioners of the European Parliament are appointed and confirmed.
What is the difference between the European Parliament, the Council and the European Commission?
The European Commission is the executive branch of the European Union, responsible for proposing and implementing EU laws and the day-to-day running of the Union. The European Parliament, representing the interests of EU citizens, and the Council, representing the interests of the countries, shape the Commission’s proposals and, if agreed, approve them for implementation.
Political parties constituting members of the European Parliament
According to the research conducted by Follow the Money, they are listed in 200 political parties in 24 EU countries, most of them include populist political parties, extreme right and extreme left, green parties (focus on the health of the environment).
According to media reports, the funding of political parties in the European Union is done by the members, and based on a review of all financial resources allocated to political parties between 2019 and 2022, 150 million It was the euro, which showed that 1 euro out of every 4 euros of all private donations made to parties in the European Union went to populist parties and far-right groups. Taking into account other forms of party funding, particularly membership fees and donations provided by politicians or party officials, hardline and populist parties across the EU accounted for a fifth of the funds raised between 2019 and 2022, the data shows. allocated, which was almost half a billion euros. For far-right parties, this amount was close to 200 million euros.
What is the participation rate in the European Parliament elections?
As for who they will vote for, the latest polls point to a more conservative parliament than the current term, but not one dominated solely by far-right and hard-line parties. have appeared in national legislatures for the past decade.
In the latest polls of the European institutions, mainstream centrist political groups – the Social Democrats (S&D), liberal Renew, and the centre-right European People’s Party (EPP) – have a substantial majority. With about 400 members or representatives, they occupied the European Parliament. However, the same polls show that far-right and radical groups including the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) and the Democrats (ID) could win between 30 and 40 more seats than in 2019.
The 11 countries in Eastern and Central Europe that have joined the European Union since 2004 will hold 208 of the 720 seats in the next parliament. However, according to European observers, it is possible that the European Parliament will not be completely in the hands of the extreme right, which Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán wished for and proposed.
In any case, the voters of 27 European Union countries went to the polls from last Thursday to Sunday to elect hundreds of parliamentarians to determine the priorities and political direction of this union for the next five years. confirm their choice.
Summary
The European Parliament elections are very important for the Green Continent, as the Union is now grappling with major challenges, from the war in Ukraine and Gaza to migration and climate change. If the predictions of polls about these elections come true and far-right parties gain more seats and power in the European Parliament, this issue will have long-term consequences for this continent.
Although elections are managed at the national level in every European country, they are not all conducted in exactly the same way. However, they all must use a system of proportional representation – where the number of legislators elected to parliament is directly related to the percentage of people who voted for them. According to media reports, the announcement of election results started late yesterday (Sunday), but the full results will take at least until the end of Monday.
The European Parliament meets mainly in Brussels, Belgium, but continues to convene in Strasbourg, France approximately once a month. However, the European Parliament, as the legislative body of this union, is one of the three main institutions and pillars of this block, and together with the European Commission, which has the executive power, and the European Council, which is made up of the ministers of the 27 member states, provides guidance and direction. They have the equivalent of 27 countries.
It is the only EU institution where representatives are directly elected and MEPs pass laws that apply across the bloc. Of course, in order to implement any law, both the Council and the European Parliament must agree.
One of the most important roles of the parliament is to approve the composition of the commission, which is ultimately responsible for the political direction of the world’s largest trading bloc and has the final say on who is appointed as secretary general. hits Now, German representative Ursula von der Leyen, who is seeking a second term as the general secretary of the union, which the election results will strengthen or weaken the possibility, her main rival in this term is the prime minister of Italy, Giorgia Meloni, who is from the extreme right parties in this country. His anti-immigrant views have been completely covered by the media.
The European Parliament is also responsible for the final approval of billions of euros spent in the EU budget, which this year was €189 billion (£160 billion). This institution generally has the final say on important political issues such as budget, trade, and embargoing countries or banning foreign nationals.
Now the important issues facing the representatives of the European Parliament are issues such as immigration, climate change, security and support for Ukraine, which are discussed throughout the bloc. While the figures for illegal immigration are lower than in the 2016-2015 refugee crisis, the challenge remains a sensitive issue across the EU, with some countries bearing a disproportionate share of the burden while others They have neglected their duties in this field.
Reducing the effects of climate change and making Europe greener has long been a priority. However, some countries are now refusing to contribute enough to reduce fossil fuel emissions, which the European Parliament must decide on.
The European Union has experienced a single challenge in the field of its foreign policy, and that is the war in Ukraine, so far they have had a unified support position, but experts say that if populist parties like the party The French “Marine Le Pen” is chosen to lead the internal groups of the European Parliament more than other groups, this may also be affected.
In any case, the way Europeans vote will determine the direction of the EU in the next five years, whether on climate change and immigration, further integration or increased nationalism. It should be noted that so far right and far-right parties have achieved significant gains across Europe and these changes may change many of the decisions of this union when they reach the European Parliament.
By the end of Monday, June 10, it will be known which parties won 720 parliamentary seats, which is 15 seats more than in 2019. England participated in the last European elections before leaving the European Union.
Formally, the number of parliamentarians of each country is proportional to its population. Germany, the most populous EU country, has 96 members, while France has 81 and Italy 76. Greece, Sweden, Portugal and the Czech Republic all have 21 countries, while Malta, Luxembourg and Cyprus will each have at least 6 members.
Overall, the European Parliament, as the only institution of the European Union directly elected by voters in 27 countries, connects European citizens to two other major institutions: the European Commission as the executive branch of the Union Europe and the Council of Europe, which is made up of the ministers of the European Union governments.
Although the final results of the European Parliament elections will be known soon, traditionally the two largest parties are the center-right European People’s Party (EPP) and the center-left progressive coalition of Socialists and Democrats (S&D). Of course, other groups have become increasingly important alongside these two parties. The Renaissance Party, led by Valerie Heyer, is a large part of the liberal group Renew in Europe. The liberal group Renew Europe and the Greens/European Free Alliance were the next largest groups in the last parliament, but the two groups of right-wing and far-right perspective parties They have focused on great achievements. They are the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) and the Identity and Democracy Group (ID).
Two other smaller groups also play a key role. One is the smaller left-wing group GUE/NGL, and the other is the MEPs, who are not aligned with any group and consist of members of the Hungarian nationalist Fidesz and a number of separatists from Spain’s Catalonia region. In general, across Europe from Italy to France, Austria to Belgium, Germany to the Netherlands and beyond, far-right parties are eyeing the results of the European Parliament elections so that they may be able to occupy the most positions among the seven political groups within the European Parliament. .
The preliminary and unofficial results of the European Parliament elections until Monday morning indicate that far-right parties won big victories in Germany and France, and it is possible that these results will be extended to the Netherlands as well.
According to international media reports, in France, Marine Le Pen’s “National Rally” party won about 32% of the votes, which is about 10% more than the 2019 election and about 17% more. It is one of the votes of Emmanuel Macron’s party, the president of this country. Also, the main conservative parties are likely to get good results across Europe, and early assessments show that the European Parliament, which reflects the views of millions of European citizens, is leaning more towards right-wing parties.
Reports indicate that while the right wing gained more power, the greens and liberals had a difficult night; So that French President Emmanuel Macron immediately dissolved the national parliament so that new elections can be held in this country.
Maryam Shafii, expert on international issues
