Elections for a new European Parliament took place in all EU Member States between 4 and 7 June, marking a new five year term of office. This new Parliament consists of 735 MEPs (instead of the previous 786), due to stipulations in the Treaty of Nice.

The results

The European elections have resulted in an overall clear victory of the right, with left-wing parties suffering losses across the EU – especially in France and the UK. Green, extreme right or Eurosceptic parties have also done well; consequently, these groups will have a stronger influence on policy decisions within the Parliament. The Liberals have also suffered losses, but not as severe as the socialists.

All in all, the balance of power does not change significantly from the previous Parliament: the European People’s Party (EPP) will remain the largest, followed by the Party of European Socialists (PES), the Alliance of Liberal Democrats (ALDE) and the Greens.  Click here for a breakdown of the new Parliament.

Voter turn-out

Voter turn-out continues to drop – citizens’ interest in the European elections is steadily on the decline. An overall participation rate of 43.4 % was the lowest ever. Of the 376 million EU citizens eligible, only 162 million people voted. In other words, abstention seems to be the most common vote. This is striking, as the powers of the European Parliament are on the increase; one would expect a more relevant Parliament to have a positive influence on voter turn-out; however, the opposite seems to be the case.

All political groups have come forward with possible reasons and explanations for this lack of interest, and intend to take action to find solutions to remedy this phenomenon. Moreover, they intend to start these actions now rather than wait until the next election in 2014.  Some groups suggest pan-European lists or the appointment of MEPs as EU Commissioners (Liberals), or measures to make national MPs more knowledgeable about European affairs (EPP). In general, it is clear that the gap between the EU and European citizens continues to grow and that ways to bridge this will need to be considered as a matter of urgency.

Some considerations
The need to build alliances

None of the political groups will have an absolute majority. This means that alliances will need to be formed and it is by no means certain how this will turn out in practice. The EPP, for instance, is hesitating between an alliance with the Liberals or continuing its ‘technical arrangement’ with the PES. This arrangement means – for instance - that the two groups share the Presidency of the European Parliament. This is not welcomed by the other political groups and would be unthinkable at national political level. ALDE’s Graham Watson is also a candidate for the Parliament’s Presidency and this will need to be taken into account.

Lisbon Treaty, yes or no?

Apart from debates over the Presidency and alliances, there are other issues, such as uncertainties surrounding the Lisbon Treaty. Firstly, there is the Irish referendum, which will take place in mid-October. A positive outcome is by no means guaranteed. Secondly, the German, Polish and Czech presidents have not yet signed the acts of ratification. Lastly, the British Conservatives, after their huge election victory, are calling for early elections in the UK. If this happens, and if the Conservatives win, a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty will be held, despite the fact that it has already been ratified by both Houses of Parliament. Such a referendum would undoubtedly result in a strong ‘no’ from the British citizens.

Disagreement over next Commission President

Finally, there is the issue of the appointment of the next President of the European Commission. Given the victory of the conservative parties in most Member States, and the resulting centre-right stronghold in the European Parliament, the chances of current (conservative) Commission President José Manuel Barroso to be re-appointed have increased considerably. However, Member States disagree on the procedure; and in addition, the different Parliamentary groups disagree over the person. Germany and France, for instance, would like to postpone the President’s appointment until next autumn, along with the new College of Commissioners, in order to secure the most prestigious portfolios. These countries also aim to have a strong influence on the future foreign policy chief and –after ratification of the Lisbon Treaty - the president of the European Council.

Within the Parliament, the Greens have started talks with the PES to try and prevent Barroso’s re-appointment.

Next steps
Formation of political groups and Committees

On 14 July, the new European Parliament will meet for the first time. Ahead of this inaugural session the trans-national political groups will need to be formed. MEPs officially have one month to join the group of their choice, and consequently, the groups are all actively lobbying to convince wavering MEPs to join them.  During this group-formation period, some groups will not re-establish themselves (e.g.  Ind-Dem, which does not meet the official requirements) and new groups will be created as well. One example is the anti-federalist group launched by the British Conservatives, who – after their huge success in the elections – are targeting potential members from six other countries.

The inaugural session will also serve to establish the Parliament's Bureau which comprises the President, the 14 Vice-presidents and 6 Quaestors (responsible for financial matters concerning MEPs).

Following the formation of the political groups, it is expected that decisions will be taken on the size and composition of the Parliamentary Committees. At this stage it is not clear yet whether there will be a dedicated Health Committee, as opposed to the combined Health and Environment  (ENVI) Committee during the previous term of office.

Some key dates

June
· 18-19 - European Council nominates the president of the Commission
· 23 - Election of EPP and PES Presidents

July
· 1 - Start of the Swedish EU Presidency
· 14-16 - Inaugural session of the new Parliament in Strasbourg
· 14 - Formal constitution of the political groups, election of Parliament’s 
   President and Vice-Presidents
· 15 - Election of Quaestors, declaration by the Commission President, results 
  of the Council’s Czech Presidency, presentation of the Swedish Presidency 
  programme
· 16 - Vote of approval for the Commission President, decision on the size and
  composition of the Parliamentary Committees
· 20-23 - Election of the Presidents and Vice-Presidents of the Parliamentary
  Committees

September
· 14-17 - First voting session of the new Parliament in Strasbourg
· September/October - Irish referendum on the Lisbon Treaty 

October
· 31 October - End of the Barroso Commission’s term
· Autumn - Parliament hearings of the new Commissioner candidates

Christine Marking
ECHAMP Public Affairs Consultant