With the formation of a coalition government in Spain led by the PSOE, the extreme right saw its progress limited. The victory in Poland led by another coalition, this time very different but led by the conservative Donad Tusk – from the EPP family but against agreements with the ultras -, against the ultra-conservative Law and Justice (PiS), means and more sigh of relief for the decline of the anti-euro extreme right…
With the formation of a coalition government in Spain led by the PSOE, the extreme right saw its progress limited. The victory in Poland, led by another coalition, this time very different but led by the conservative Donad Tusk—from the EPP family but against agreements with the ultras—against the ultra-conservative Law and Justice (PiS), means more sighs of relief at the decline of the anti-European far right in PiS and Vox. These balances, shown by two of the largest EU countries, will be re-examined in the European Parliament elections in June 2024. In them, the major Spanish forces, PSOE and PP, and their policies can be re-examined. The Popular Party, which is fighting against the amnesty of community institutions, will also try to create a European agenda.
They will be decisive elections for a European Union in full change, which must start the first internal reforms for the next big enlargement in the East, facing another wave of population feeding on the fears and boredom left behind by the pandemic, of the coronavirus, of the effects of a war on the ground in Europe—Russia’s war against Ukraine is heading for two years with no end in sight—and in a context where inflation is making a hole in the pockets of citizens.
In the European elections on June 5 and 6, the European Parliament will be formed. Later, when autumn begins and ends the mandate of the European Commission led by Ursula von der Leyen, the major positions will be distributed: the head of the Community Executive, the European Council, the Parliament, and the portfolios of commissioners. And in all of them, and in the parliamentary seats, the distribution of power will be transferred, which will also mark the policies that will come into the lives of Europeans. There are no names on the table yet for the major positions. Von der Leyen, who is facing a very tumultuous end to her term, has also not revealed whether she will run again.
The German Christian Democrat, from the European People’s Party but far from the current president of the group and the party, Manfred Weber, who does not oppose the national formations that agree to the extreme right to govern based on cases (such as the PP with Vox ultras), had to win over not only the opposition parties but his own as well.
Currently, the EPP has the majority of the chambers, but the grand coalition was formed with a group of European socialists, which allows the development of European values ​​and a certain moderation of the debate against the positions of extreme rights, and that in recent years it was supported by liberals, now it is almost broken. The popular (or at least a good part of them and the group led by Weber) moved towards more conservative positions on some social measures and on other elements, such as some environmental reforms, such as the law for the restoration of nature, which was able to precede (albeit a little less ambitious) the Spanish presidency of the Council of the EU.
Subscribe
The first polls for the 2024 European elections suggest that, despite some decline, the EPP will remain strong. Analysts also point out that the extreme right, whose discourse is developing in countries such as Austria, Germany, and France, will grow significantly. And all this while the debate continues within the European popular group to try to attract the ultra-Italian Giorgia Meloni (who is now in the same European political family as VOX) in a coalition as it has been; they are in the ultra-conservative ODS party of Petr Fiala, from the Czech Republic, who will ally with the parties of the EPP family in the European Parliament elections. Meanwhile, the Renew liberals, for whom this legislature holds the key to many policies, may lose ground.
In the European Parliament elections many of the national debates will be moved again, but ahead there are other, and very decisive ones, on the table: support for Ukraine, migration policies (one of the most divisive issues of the community), the economy, and the climate crisis. Also, the next enlargement and what model European citizens want
