EU Elections 2019
Bulgarian government sides with Orban against Article 7
The Bulgarian government decided today (19 September) to take the side of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban against the possible Article 7 procedure requested by the European Parliament.
Austrian ex-chancellor Kern to run for centre-left Spitzenkandidat
As expected, opposition leader Christian Kern said yesterday (18 September) he would run as top candidate for the Austrian Social Democrats in the European Parliament elections next year, aiming to help build a strong counterweight to growing nationalist forces.
French pro-European right launches breakaway party
Confronted with the shift towards populism and identity-based politics by the French right-wing, a handful of right-wing French MPs have launched Agir (“Take action”). However, there remains a question mark over the new party’s participation in the European elections against En Marche. EURACTIV France reports.
Orban’s manifesto for a new illiberal Europe
Helmut Kohl was a major historic figure, the Chancellor who united Germany and set the foundations of the European Union as we know it: with the Schengen Area, freedom of movement and joint currency, the euro. However, Kohl had one flaw: he did not choose well his protégés. EURACTIV Croatia reports.
Sefcovic officially enters the Spitzenkandidaten battle
Commission Vice-President Maroš Šefčovič announced officially on Monday (17 September) his candidacy to be the leading candidate of his social-democrat political group in the campaign for the 2019 European elections.
France’s Le Pen urges show of nationalist force in European elections
France's far-right leader Marine Le Pen urged Europe's populist parties to unite against a liberal establishment in next year's European elections, as she made a combative return to the spotlight after her bruising election defeat last year.
Czech MEP: I want to be ECR’s lead candidate, not an EU top job candidate
Czech MEP Jan Zahradil has recently announced his intention to become the ECR's lead candidate for the 2019 European Elections. He is a supporter of a multi-speed Union, with freedom for member states to pursue a foreign policy that best suits their own interests.
EPP unsure about retaining or expelling Orbán’s party
The European Parliament's vote to censure Hungary presents the assembly's dominant centre-right bloc with a dilemma over whether to retain its populist Hungarian allies or expel them months before elections.
Macron’s party neck-and-neck with far-right in 2019 EU election opinion poll
French President Emmanuel Macron's centrist LREM party is neck-and-neck with the far-right Rassemblement National, formerly the National Front, for the May 2019 European Parliament elections, according to poll results published on Thursday (13 September).
French right-wing fragmented over rule of law in Hungary
The French delegation of the EPP in the European Parliament was totally divided during a vote on triggering Article 7 against Hungary. EURACTIV France reports.
Austria’s far-right to keep distance from Bannon
The Austrian far-right has said it is not eager to collaborate politically with Donald Trump's former adviser Steve Bannon over forming a pan-European right-wing movement.
MEPs kick off electoral campaign after Juncker’s State of the Union speech
Jean-Claude Juncker's last State of the Union speech before the next European elections turned into a stocktaking of his mandate and a platform for political groups to set up their priorities for the electoral campaign.
MEPs trigger Article 7 against Hungary after evasive Juncker speech
MEPs voted en masse to trigger Article 7 proceedings against Hungary on Wednesday (12 September), although Jean-Claude Juncker's early morning Strasbourg speech failed to send much of a clear signal against Budapest's alleged rule of law violations.
Juncker paints ‘big picture’ of EU’s global role
Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker stayed away from major legislative proposals in his annual address to Parliament, preferring to focus on the “big picture” of how the EU can assert its power in a hostile international environment.
Juncker goes to war against disinformation and online terrorist content
The European Commission is set to pursue a crackdown on the spread of online terrorist content and disinformation, its president Jean-Claude Junker announced in his State of the Union address on Wednesday (12 September).
‘Scientifically right’: Juncker backs deeper carbon cuts in SOTEU speech
European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker urged the European Union on Wednesday (12 September) to raise its goals for limiting climate change, but did not mention the forthcoming 2050 strategy. EURACTIV’s partner Climate Home News reports.
Greece’s New Democracy leader says Article 7 on Hungary should be activated
Greece’s centre-right New Democracy party said yesterday (12 September) that it would vote in favour of the Sargentini report on activating Article 7 against Hungary.
Salvini sees populist-conservative coalition guiding the new EU Commission
Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, who also leads the far-right League party, said on Tuesday (11 September) he wants the new European Commission to be led by conservatives and populists.
Juncker to propose breaking dollar’s dominance in global markets
European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker is expected to propose today (12 September) a bigger role for the euro in international markets and more efficient decision-making in EU foreign policy in his state of the union speech, European diplomats said.
Orbán divides EPP ahead of crucial European Parliament vote
The European Parliament held a highly incendiary debate about Hungary on Tuesday (11 September), ahead of a vote on whether to trigger Article 7 against the country, exposing serious internal divisions in the European Peoples’ Party, which includes Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's party.
S&D chief sees importance of pro-EU camp, hits at Mélenchon
Europe needs a new vision and new goals, and all true Europeans have to defend EU values in campaigning for next year's elections and forming a new governance system afterwards, said Udo Bullmann, the leader of the Social Democrats (S&D) in the European Parliament.
Tsipras urges ‘progressives’ to join forces against neoliberalism and populism
Greek Prime minister Alexis Tsipras told progressive and pro-European parties on Tuesday (11 September) to join forces against “extreme” neoliberalism and far-right populism, whose discourse has become dominant within conservative forces.