To analyze the outcome of the recent European Parliament elections, and what they could mean for the future of the EU, TVP World invited Anna Wojciuk, Associate professor at the University of Warsaw.
Unlike many media publications that have termed the outcome of the election as “dramatic,” Wojciuk believes that the results are unlikely to lead to any major changes in policies of the European Parliament.
She highlighted that, by and large, various pro-European forces managed to keep control over the European Parliament, and that “it’s a relatively stable result for continuity of the course which we saw in the last five years.”
“I think these elections saw a stable support for European integration,” she added.
It is important to note that Ursula von der Leyen’s center-right European People’s Party (EPP), the center-left Socialists and Democrats (S&D) group, and the liberal Renew group still remain the three largest groups in the parliament.
However, the elections also saw far-right groups making significant gains. For instance, Germany’s Alternative for Germany (AfD) entered the parliament for the first time with 15 seats.
Some have suggested the possibility of the various far-right factions uniting to form a single party in the parliament.
Should it happen, Wojciuk believes it would be extremely dangerous for the EU integration process.
However, she said that such an alliance “seems extremely unlikely” because of numerous conflicting interests between those factions in many different areas.
“Their common denominator is quite low,” she added.
She highlighted that, by and large, various pro-European forces managed to keep control over the European Parliament, and that “it’s a relatively stable result for continuity of the course which we saw in the last five years.”
“I think these elections saw a stable support for European integration,” she added.
It is important to note that Ursula von der Leyen’s center-right European People’s Party (EPP), the center-left Socialists and Democrats (S&D) group, and the liberal Renew group still remain the three largest groups in the parliament.
However, the elections also saw far-right groups making significant gains. For instance, Germany’s Alternative for Germany (AfD) entered the parliament for the first time with 15 seats.
Some have suggested the possibility of the various far-right factions uniting to form a single party in the parliament.
Should it happen, Wojciuk believes it would be extremely dangerous for the EU integration process.
However, she said that such an alliance “seems extremely unlikely” because of numerous conflicting interests between those factions in many different areas.
“Their common denominator is quite low,” she added.
Source: TVP World
