EU(TOP)-NOTCH ELECTION INSIDER

Michel will not run for the European Parliament and remains Council President

26.01.2024: EU Council President Charles Michel has withdrawn his candidacy for the European elections in June 2024. He did not want his candidacy to undermine the European project or be misused in any way to divide the European Council, the top politician wrote as justification. Michel had announced at the beginning of January 2024 that he would lead the list of the liberal Belgian party Mouvement Reformateur (MR) in the European elections. If elected, he would have relinquished the office of Council President in July 2024.

Critics accused Michel of pursuing his personal goals at the expense of the European Community with this candidature. The background: if the heads of state and government had not found a successor for Michel by the beginning of July 2024, the head of government of the country holding the presidency of the Council of Europe on 01.07.2024 would have automatically become President of the Council. At that time, this will be the Hungarian head of state Viktor Orban, who is known for his anti-European stance.

Pieper becomes EU SME Envoy

31.01.2024: MEP Markus Pieper (CDU, EPP) is to become the EU Commission's first Envoy for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs). The Commission is thus honouring its promise to create a point of contact for these companies. In his new role, Pieper will report directly to Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (CDU, EPP), although the office is part of the Directorate-General for the Internal Market (DG Grow). The term of office is four years, with the option of a two-year extension. Pieper is therefore no longer a candidate for the European Parliament. He was originally intended for position 5 on the list of his North Rhine-Westphalian CDU state association.

Urpilainen is EU Commissioner again

Finland's Jutta Urpilainen has resumed her post as EU Commissioner for International Partnerships after failing to win less than five per cent of the vote in the presidential elections in her home country on 28.01.2024. Urpilainen had previously taken a leave of absence for the Finnish elections.

Alliance of Liberals and Democrats concretises European election programme

31.01.2024: The Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) intends to present its manifesto for the European elections at its congress on 20. and 21.03.2024. In a preliminary version, ALDE promises measures to "overcome the current threats to our internal and external security, the economic challenges and the climate crisis". Among other things, ALDE is calling for flexible financial funds for a rapid crisis response as well as new tax regulations to enable more public investment for sustainable and digital change. The party alliance also wants to support consumers and farmers in the transition to sustainable food production by reforming the common agricultural policy. ALDE is in favour of numerous institutional reforms: For example, opening up the European Commission's consultation process to greater citizen participation, reducing the number of EU Commissioners and allowing the European Parliament to vote no confidence in any member of the Commission. In terms of asylum and migration policy, the manifesto calls for a reform of the European asylum system. On he subject of EU enlargement, ALDE wants to open up to those European countries that are committed to the EU's "Copenhagen criteria" (politics, economy, compliance).

Will Fidesz soon be part of the ECR Group?

31.01.2024. Mateusz Morawiecki, former Polish Prime Minister of the conservative PiS, has expressed his "openness" to Fidesz, the right-wing populist party of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, joining the European Conservatives and Reformists Group (ECR).

Since leaving the European People's Party (EPP), Fidesz has not been a member of any political group in the European Parliament. Although Fidesz has not formally applied to join the ECR, negotiations are already underway. However, Morawiecki made it clear that he was "not sure" whether "changes can be made" before the European elections.

EP committee reform decided

The reform of committee work in the European Parliament is to be decided before the European elections and will apply from the next legislative period. This was decided by the Conference of Presidents (CCC). In future, it will be possible to form an overarching committee (joint committee) in order to improve cooperation in difficult legislative procedures and speed up the legislative process as a whole. The Committee on Constitutional Affairs (AFCO) is expected to approve the reform in the coming weeks. The vote in plenary should take place in the last week of the parliamentary term in April at the latest.

However, the planned restructuring of the committees in the European Parliament (Annex VI) is no longer to be adopted in this legislative period. The proposals drawn up by the Parliament 2024 working group have been rejected by the political groups for the time being. This means that major changes, such as the establishment of a digital committee, are not planned for now. Nevertheless, there is currently a discussion at the working level of the political groups about new committees. The RENEW group is the most ambitious group, they are strongly pushing for a defense committee. The EPP would like to set up a health committee. The S&Ds have stated that both the Subcommittee on Security and Defense (SEDE) and the Subcommittee on Human Rights (DROI) should be upgraded to a standing committee.

MEMBER STATES IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Germany: SPD, FDP and BSW elect top candidates and adopt election programmes

28.01.2024: Katarina Barley is once again the lead candidate of the SPD (S&D). She received 98.66% of the vote. In her speech, Barley emphasised that the European elections were a directional decision and distanced herself from the CDU and FDP: there were "conservatives" and "liberals" who wanted to "reduce Europe to a pure internal market". Under the pretext of "reducing bureaucracy", these parties wanted to dismantle "protective regulations for the working middle classes and the environment". Barley labelled the AfD's (ID) ideas of leaving the EU as "madness" in view of the German economy's strong dependence of Europe.

In addition to Katarina Barley, the following are running for the top positions on the list: Jens Geier (place 2), Maria Noichl (3), Bernd Lange (4), Birgit Sippel (5), René Repasi (6), Gaby Bischoff (7), Udo Bullmann (8), Delara Burkhardt (9), Matthias Ecke (10), Sabrina Repp (11), Tiemo Wölken (12), Vivien Costanzo (13), Tobias Cremer (14), Claudia Walther (15), Thomas Rudner (16), Martina Werner (17), Christian Petry (18), Laura Frick (19) and Karsten Lucke (20). In the polls for the European elections, the SPD is currently at 15 per cent. With this result, 15 SPD politicians could be elected to the European Parliament. The party also adopted its election programme "Together for a strong Europe" at the weekend. The SPD is focussing on strengthening Europe as an industrial and business location, while at the same time providing social security for its citizens. Climate protection should create jobs and the expansion of renewable energies should be given absolute priority.

28.01.2024: The FDP (RENEW) has elected Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann as its lead candidate at its European Party Conference in Berlin with 90 per cent of the vote. Strack-Zimmermann emphasised that she particularly wanted to campaign for the reduction of bureaucracy in the European Union. This is necessary so that companies can breathe again: "This chronic regulatory frenzy, this daily tattooing of ants must be ended once and for all. Because that was not the idea of an open and innovative Europe."

Strack-Zimmermann praised Europe as an important economic and peace project and warned of the "frightening rise of nationalism" in many European countries. Svenja Hahn (2), Andreas Glück (3), Moritz Körner (4), Jan-Christoph Oetjen (5), Isabel Schnitzler (6) and Phil Hackenmann (7) follow in the other list positions. Election polls put the FDP at five per cent, meaning that only the first five places on the list will secure seats. The delegates adopted the election programme "Europe.Simply.Do - Let's unleash Europe's energy for more freedom and prosperity". In addition to the core issue of reducing bureaucracy, the FDP wants to give the EU more influence, particularly in foreign and security policy: there is to be a European army and more joint weapons systems are to be procured.

27.01.2024: At its first party conference, the newly founded Bündnis Sarah Wagenknecht (BSW, NI) adopted its draft programme for the European elections without any amendments or debates. In its manifesto, the party focuses on an independent Europe of sovereign democracies, criticises the EU in its current form and calls for a dismantling of the Union: the leitmotif is "less is more". The alliance is also calling for the introduction of a European minimum wage, an excess profits tax in the industrial sector and an end to energy sanctions against Russia.

At the party conference, the alliance confirmed its list for the European elections: The top candidates are Fabio De Masi (1) and Thomas Geisel (2). The other candidates are Michael von Schulenburg (3), Ruth Firmenich (4), Jan-Peter Warnke (5), Friedrich Pürner (6) and Erkan Kocalar (7). The BSW is currently polling at seven per cent. This would mean seven MEPs in the European Parliament.

30.01.2024: Another party wants to stand in the European elections in Germany: The voter association "Demokratische Allianz für Vielfalt und Aufbruch” (DAVA, NI), which was only founded in January 2024, is currently collecting signatures in order to be admitted to the election as a party. DAVA is considered the political arm of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and an offshoot of his ruling AKP party. The voters' association requires 4,000 signatures if it is to stand on a federal list in Germany. A state list would only require 2,000 signatures. According to current plans, DAVA intends to field three candidates: Fatih Zingal, Ali Ihsan Ünlü and Mustafa Yoldaş.

Numerous German parties have criticised the new political formation. Federal Agriculture Minister Cem Özdemir (Grüne, Greens) wrote on Platform X: "An Erdoğan offshoot contesting elections here is the last thing we need." Jens Spahn, deputy chairman of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group in the Bundestag, warned that this AKP branch was "another extreme party in Germany".

Finland: Stubb and Haavisto must go to the run-off election

28.01.2024: Alexander Stubb (NCP, EPP) has narrowly won the first round of the Finnish presidential election with 27.2 per cent. Peeka Haavisto (Green League, Greens/EFA) was in second place with 25.8 per cent. The decision on the future head of state of Finland will not be made until 11.02.2024 in a run-off election between these two candidates.

The 55-year-old Stubb commented on the election evening in Helsinki that this vote was only the semi-final. He and Haavisto are now in the final, so the game is starting all over again.

Haavisto pointed out that almost half of the voters would have to decide in favour of a new candidate in the second round of voting. There were nine candidates in the first round of the presidential elections. All candidates had promised to take a tough stance towards neighbouring Russia if elected.

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