Changes in the Euro-Chamber

European Parliament elections of June 4-7 shape the Chamber’s composition for the 2009-2014 legislature while highlighting basic trends within the Old Continent. The election results indeed featured high-abstention rates, the victory of the conservative and People’s political groups, the defeat of the Socialist parties, the progress of the Green along with improved electoral performance of euro-sceptical, nationalistic and xenophobic political parties. Only 4 out of 10 electors went to the polls. Turnout for the election for the renewal of the EP has been put at 43%, two percentage points less than in 2004’s elections (375 million EU citizens are eligible to vote). Thus, only 4 every ten electors exercised their right to vote. EU Institutions are concerned over abstention rates, amounting to almost 60%, even though EU officials had predicted worst scenarios due to the economic crisis, to surging unemployment, to migration phenomena and to fears regarding the EU’s enlargement towards the Balkans and Turkey. National figures shed light on the differences, given the record-breaking abstention rates in Slovakia, Romania and Poland (between 80 and 75%), and the more encouraging situation of Belgium and Luxembourg, where voters amounted to over 90% of the population. However, it must be said that in some Countries European elections took place in conjunction with local and regional elections, which traditionally bring a large number of voters to the ballot-boxes. High abstention rates in Eastern Europe. Average turnout in EU27 is varied and marked by unexpected findings. Indeed, EP experts collected and processed data submitted by Member States. Accordingly, “abstention cannot be explained with the same interpretative key”. Biggest turnouts were in Belgium and Luxembourg but even in Malta (78%), Italy (67%), Cyprus, and unexpectedly, Denmark (59%). While Slovakia, the back marker in Europe as relates to electoral turnout, registered a three-point increase compared to 2004 EP elections. Increased turnouts were registered in Estonia (+15%), Denmark (+12), Latvia (+11), Bulgaria (+8), Sweden (+6) and Poland (+5). Lithuania, with slightly more than 20% of the voters, registered -28% compared to five years ago. Achievement of the People’s and Green parties. Whist waiting for the definitive election results from the 27 States, the EP election service drew an outline of the next Euro-Chamber political composition. Accordingly, the People’s Party gained 236 out of 736 seats, namely 35.7% of consensus in Europe (-1% compared to 2004). Socialists are the second largest group, with 161 representatives and 22.1% of votes (-5,5%). The Liberal-democrats follow suit with 80 seats, (10.9% in 2009, amounting to almost 2% less), the Green party will be represented by 52 MEPs (7.1% – the sole political group already present in Strasbourg that registers an increase, +1.6%). The UEN right-wing party group will have 35 seats, (4.8%), the extreme left, GUE, 33 seats (4.5%), the Euro-sceptics of Independence and democracy 19 MEPs, (2.6%). While 93 seats (12.4% of all votes) will go to national party representatives that have not yet made known which party groups they will join. These MEPs could give rise to new political groups. Changed political geography. According to the data collected in Brussels, in most EU Contries EP elections are marked by greater consensus for the People’s, the moderate and the conservative political parties, by a drop in Socialist and Social-Democrat voters, by the achievement of the Greens and of the liberal-democratic parties. Several Countries – in Eastern Europe, Austria, Italy and the U.K.- successful outcomes were registered by Euro-sceptical, anti-European and xenophobic parties. In France, President Nicolas Sarkozy’s UMP ranks first (27.8%) while the Socialists dropped to the same figures of the Green party (16%). Angela Merkel’s CDU in Germany lost 6% although it remains the Country’s first party (30.7%). A decrease was registered for the Social-Democrats (20.8%) with progress for the Green and the Liberal groups (FDP). With 42.2% the People’s party in Spain outstripped the Socialist party of Premier Luis Zapatero. The Social-Democratic party in Sweden, in the opposition, surpassed the moderate party at the government by 8%, while the “pirate-web” party gained over 7%, and a seat in the EP. Newly elected MEPs will convene for their first sitting in Strasbourg on July 14-16.