EU Elections 09

The new European Commission

The selection of a new European Commission, never the simplest of political tasks, has this year been more complex than ever. Politically and institutionally, 2009 came with a whole range of permutations regarding the 'how?', 'when?' and 'who?' of the next EU executive.

National Parliaments and the EU

National parliaments have come to play an increasingly important role in the functioning of the EU, cooperating with the European Commission and the European Parliament as well as with each other. The Lisbon Treaty further strengthens their influence on EU decision-making.

2009-2014: A centre-right European Parliament

The 2009 European elections, held simultaneously in 27 countries for the first time in history, ended in a clear victory for the centre-right European People's Party (EPP) and a defeat for the Socialists.

2009 European party manifestos at a glance

EURACTIV provides an overview of the four main European parties' electoral manifestos, analysing their content and asking experts how they compare with previous efforts.

EU elections in Belgium: High turnout, little interest

In the country hosting the EU institutions, European elections are held on the same day as regional elections, with local issues overshadowing the EU poll. Voting is compulsory in Belgium, and over 90% of the population usually participates in the ballot.

EU elections in Romania: Searching for a ‘captain’

EU elections will take place in Romania on 7 June, but Romanian politicians and commentators admit that debates are being hijacked by disputes over the upcoming presidential poll, which is due in the autumn.

Bulgaria’s EU elections: Rehearsal for national poll

EU elections will take place in Bulgaria on 7 June, less than a month ahead of parliamentary elections on 5 July, which will renew the 240-seat parliament and possibly change the format of the governing coalition, which has been in place for the last four years.

EU elections in France: Parties and programmes

France's political parties are preparing to launch their campaigns for the European elections in June, despite internal squabbling over the composition of electoral lists within the ruling centre-right UMP and opposition Socialist parties - EURACTIV France offers an overview.

European Elections: Outlook for 2009

While the European Parliament has gained extensive new powers since the first European elections were held thirty years ago, voter turnout has consistently fallen, calling into question the ability of EU politicians to reverse the trend for the 2009 elections.

The EU elections in the Czech Republic

Amid gloomy EU surveys on voter turnout, recent opinion polls suggest that the Czech Republic could beat the odds with as many as 50% of registered voters planning to cast their ballot, or twice as much as during the last elections in 2004. Meanwhile, the economic crisis, energy issues and the future of the EU are predominant topics in all the parties' campaigns.

Slovakia: EU campaign influenced by local politics

The European elections in Slovakia are being overshadowed by much-discussed presidential elections, which are delaying the beginning of the EU elections campaign - EURACTIV Slovakia reports.

Institutional reform

On 24 April 2003, the Convention Praesidium proposed that the enlarged Union should have a President of the European Council and a Foreign Minister. Other proposals for a new institutional architecture of the EU include downsizing the Commission to 15 members, setting up a Congress of national and EU parliamentarians, making the number of members of parliament more proportional to the size of countries' populations and changing the qualified majority voting system so that such a majority shall consist of the majority of Member States, representing at least 60 percent of the Union's population.