The campaigns for the European elections are into full swing. What are the most important themes of the election debates in the Member States? What are the dividing lines or agreements between Dutch political parties on these themes? And how are they discussed in other Member States?
The campaigns for the European elections in May are coming into full swing. Though the elections are European in nature, parties are inclined to campaign and operate nationally - in the absence of transnational electoral lists. As a consequence, it is easy to lose sight of the fact that the final election results, and subsequent EU agenda, also depend on the interests and concerns of voters in other Member States. Therefore, the Clingendael Institute launches an ‘EU election platform’, which aims to place the most important election themes in the Netherlands in a broader European context.
What are the most important themes of the election debates in the Member States? What are the dividing lines or agreements between Dutch political parties on these themes? And how are they discussed in other Member States? What is the ratio between pro-European and Eurosceptic voices in societies? How are European institutions, and the European Parliament in particular, perceived? And what is expected of the European Union in the different Member States? In the run-up to the European elections, this EU elections platform delivers the answers to all of these questions and more, provided by leading experts from different Member States.