Last weekend’s European Parliament elections marked the first key milestone in 2019’s Year of Change calendar. They set the stage for further discussions and political developments over the coming months.
Following a record high voter turnout, EU citizens elected a broad range of parties to the new EU Parliament, the composition of which will not only shape the future of Europe, but also its relationship with the rest of the world, especially regarding climate change, trade, tech, financial markets, and, of course, Brexit.
What happened?
Both the leading political groups of the past European Parliament, the EPP and S&D, failed for the first time in 40 years to win enough seats to create a majority alone. This result has now paved the way for smaller groups to influence and impact the decisions made within the institution. ALDE/LREM are expected to play a strategic role in the coming negotiations, having won 15% of seats within the Parliament. The Greens, EFDD and ENF also achieved sizeable gains across Europe. This leaves key questions as to what the implications will be for institutional and policy-making dynamics.
What does this mean?
At FleishmanHillard have been working on an in-depth analysis to understand what this change means for the EU, for Member States and, significantly, for businesses. Our General Manager, Mette Grolleman, shares key takeaways from our analysis so far.
In this video she highlights:
- The expected ‘jumbo coalition’ between the four main pro-EU groups (EPP, S&D, ALDE and the Greens)
- What this could mean for industry engagement
- The impacts this has on selecting the new European Commission President
With the final results and a number of key announcements expected in the coming weeks, FleishmanHillard will be examining what these outcomes mean sector by sector, as well as who could be the key figures in the race for EU ‘top-jobs’. Overall, this year’s elections have created a new phase within the EU, as the political caucus that once dominated will be forced to open the decision-making process to a bigger and broader group of parties.
Find Out More
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The EU year of change: Act 2
June 13, 2024