Why are the European elections important?

Because the EU Parliament is the EU institution that enables direct participation of citizens in its member states. This is the most direct way to voice our wishes and demands in European politics. The function of the EU Parliament is not just symbolic; but it is a powerful institution that plays a key role in shaping European politics.

However, the EU and the European elections are not so close to many people’s hearts.

That is true. One effort to change this is the Spitzenkandidaten (or lead candidate) process. The lead candidates are usually fairly well known in the countries they come from, but rather unknown in the others. However, the hoped-for effect of recognition, possibly identification, which would have a mobilizing effect for the elections and thus create a classic election campaign, has only been partially achieved. Another reason is certainly that many members of the EU Parliament are not well known to the public. EU political decisions seem to happen far away, also from a geographical perspective. In addition, the issues that are dealt with at European level often do not affect us as directly as taxes, pensions, education, or defense spending, which are decided in the German Bundestag. Because of this, the relevance of the EU is more difficult for citizens to grasp.

What issues does the EU Parliament deal with?

One important issue is the organization of the EU single market, i.e. the common economic area. For this single market, the EU defines rules or environmental and consumer standards that products must meet. It also adopts minimum social standards, such as occupational health and safety standards. The EU Parliament also sets the framework for asylum policy and decides on the accession of new member states. For example, if a decision is to be made on whether Ukraine will join the EU, the EU Parliament also has a say in this.

Is the EU Commission a democratic institution as such? After all, it is not a government, nor can it be voted out of office by the opposition, and the President of the EU Commission, Ms. von der Leyen, was not on any of the election ballots.

That’s right. Ms. von der Leyen was not a lead candidate in the last election and she was not on any ballot. She is not running for the European Parliament this year either. However, in March in Bucharest, she was nominated by the Christian Democratic parties of the member states as the lead candidate for the position of President of the EU Commission, and was elected in accordance with the treaties. The EU treaties stipulate that the EU Heads of State or Government choose the EU President, and the European Parliament can approve or reject this choice. I believe that the role of the lead candidate model in validating the democratic legitimacy of the EU is politically overestimated. I also find it problematic that many citizens are left with the impression that when the lead candidate is appointed, this person effectively implements the program of their own parliamentary group. But this is not the case at EU level. The European political system is not based on any kind of political competition, but on compromise. The lead candidate idea contradicts this. There is a danger that expectations will be raised among citizens that cannot be fulfilled. Ms. von der Leyen does not lead a government for which she has clear policy-making authority. She has to work with commissioners from different member states who come from different parties and must keep this entity together.

Will the European elections also be seen by many voters as an opportunity to express their general political discontent?

Yes, there is good scientific evidence that some voters use European elections to teach the government a lesson. Citizens attach less importance to EU politics than to national politics. This is one of the reasons why they tend to vote for parties that are not part of their national government at the time. And they tend to vote for small parties they wouldn’t vote for in national elections because they are unlikely to have much influence in parliament. In addition, in European election campaigns, parties often talk about issues in their member states that cannot be dealt with by the EU, which reinforces this effect. It would be beneficial if parties were to discuss the challenges faced by the European Union openly and, if necessary, controversially, at national level. Then voters could use this as a basis for developing a better picture of the EU and use the European elections to express their political views on the EU.

What challenges does the EU face and in which direction will it need to develop?

The European Union is very heterogeneous with some major economic and social differences between its member states, which are also due to historical factors. These differences were reflected in the Eurozone crisis and during the COVID-19 pandemic, and affected the countries’ ability to act in these crises. One question that will strongly shape European politics in the coming years is whether the EU should have more financial resources at its disposal and be allowed to generate these itself. Although the ideas of moderate left-wing and moderate right-wing parties differ widely here, there is relatively general agreement on the need for more funds. The need for more funds is also evident in the support for Ukraine. In broad terms, left-wing parties are in favor of the EU being given the opportunity to incur joint debt to a certain extent, while right-wing parties reject this. At the same time, it is very likely that the newly elected European Parliament will include significantly more MEPs from radical and populist right-wing parties. Organizing parliamentary majorities to work on climate policy, democracy, and rule of law policy will become increasingly complex and will pose a further challenge. Ultimately, the development of the EU is also determined by external factors that cannot be predicted. A dramatic example: Before the Russian army attacked the entire Ukrainian territory in February 2022, there was no question of Ukraine joining the EU in the near future. Now, negotiations are being held with Ukraine about accession. The direction in which the EU should develop is a political decision. The European Parliament plays a part in this decision. So, there is a lot at stake in the 2024 European elections.

Further Information

On May 15, Professor Arndt Wonka will provide information on the European elections at “The European Elections 2024 Explained: Background, Parties, Decisions.” The event takes place at 6 p.m. at EuropaPunktBremen, Am Markt 20 and will be held in German. Anyone interested is welcome to attend. No registration is required.