About: European elections 2019
NGO ship defies Salvini, takes migrants to Lampedusa
An Italian charity ship was escorted into the port of Lampedusa by police on Tuesday (19 March) after rescuing 49 Africans in the Mediterranean, with Interior Minister Matteo Salvini calling for the crew to be arrested.
EU summit could avoid final call on Brexit extension
European Union leaders could hold off making any final decision on any Brexit delay when they meet in Brussels later this week, senior diplomats in the bloc said, depending on what exactly British Prime Minister Theresa May asks them for.
Merkel distances herself from Macron’s Europe vision
Less than two months after celebrating a new Franco-German treaty, Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron are diverging on the future of Europe in the run-up to European Parliament elections in May.
No agreement on asylum possible before EU elections, EU member states admit
EU interior minister on Thursday (7 March) failed to conclude the overhaul of the EU’s migration policy. This means that under the Juncker Commission no further progress could be expected on a dossier expected to take center stage at the European elections.
European Greens set conditions on EPP candidate Manfred Weber
The European Greens launched their electoral campaign on Wednesday (6 March) and set conditions for the European People’s Party (EPP) top candidate Manfred Weber, saying they would not be willing to talk to him "if he prefers leaning to the right".
Pro-EU opposition wins Estonian elections, far right makes big gains
Estonia's opposition centre-right Reform party pulled off a surprise win over Prime Minister Juri Ratas' governing centre-left Centre party in parliamentary elections held on Sunday (3 March).
Italy’s Democratic Party leans left under new leader Zingaretti
Supporters of Italy's fractured centre-left opposition Democratic Party (PD) on Sunday (3 March) elected Nicola Zingaretti as new leader, an ex-communist son of a bank manager who will now take on the ruling populist coalition led by the far-right Lega.
Europe needs new approach to tackle right-wing climate denial, study finds
Half of all votes against climate and energy decisions in the European Parliament come from right-wing parties and that number is set to grow as they are expected to score high at the next European elections, according to a study presented in Brussels on Wednesday (27 February).
Bulgarian PM destabilised by revelations about hidden political alliance
In Bulgaria, the European elections are seen as a test for Prime Minister Boyko Borissov, at a time when his conservative GERB party are polling neck-and-neck with the socialists. Krassen Nikolov tells the inside story for EUelectionsBulgaria.com.
The Five Star Movement’s attempt to create a European Parliament group
Leaders of 5 parties from Italy, Poland, Croatia, Finland and Greece met in Rome last week to sign an electoral manifesto. Piotr Kaczyński has followed the event and offers his impressions and comments.
Spain’s right, far-right rally against PM over Catalonia
Tens of thousands of people waving Spanish flags joined a rally on Sunday (10 February) in Madrid called by right-wing and far-right parties against Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, who they accuse of treachery over his negotiations with Catalan separatists. Police said around 45,000...
Orbán opens EU elections campaign, vows defence of ‘Christian’ Europe
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán launched his European elections campaign Sunday (10 February) calling for voters to defend "Christian" nations against immigration, which he said led to the "virus of terrorism".
Campaign leader: +Plus party is much more than the person of Dacian Ciolos
The new Romanian party, +Plus, founded by former EU Commissioner Dacian Cioloș, is in talks to run for the European elections in coalition with the Save Romania Union (USR), the new force's campaign leader told EURACTIV in an exclusive interview.
EU Commission hits out at Facebook’s disinformation report
European Commission Security Chief Julian King criticised the "patchy, opaque and self-selecting" reporting provided by Facebook and other tech giants following their bids to comply with the EU's code of practice against disinformation on Tuesday (29 January).
Enrico Letta: Are pro-EU forces ready for the anti-EU’s main election theme?
Former Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta said on Monday (28 January) that EU politicians should be prepared to address the issue of migration, as anti-EU forces are set to make it their number one item in the upcoming elections.
Hungary takes aim at ‘Soros man’ Timmermans
Hungary will not take part in this week’s European Parliament debate on the rule of law in the country, a government spokesperson said on Monday (28 January) and insisted that Commission First Vice President Frans Timmermans, who deals with this issue, should be suspended in the run-up to the European elections.
Moscovici: We are quite close to an agreement on the digital tax
The introduction of national digital taxes across Europe is not detrimental to the Commission's European proposal, the Commissioner for Economic Affairs, Pierre Moscovici, told EURACTIV.com, adding that he believes an agreement on the issue is “quite close”.
France’s ‘yellow vests’ to run for European elections
A group of French "yellow vest" protesters announced plans Wednesday (23 January) to field candidates in this year's European Parliament elections, with a 31-year-old health worker to lead a list that a poll suggests could win up to 13% of the vote.
EU elections: Polish opposition prepares for battle
Opinion polls since Poland's local and regional elections in October and November 2018 have consistently put the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) in the lead with between 30% and 40%, depending on methodology. The largest opposition party, the Civic Platform (PO), led by Grzegorz Schetyna, is at 22%.
Will UK hold EU elections if Article 50 is extended? EU institutions differ
The European Commission indicated on Friday (18 January) that Britons would need to choose their representatives to the next European Parliament if the country were to stay in the European Union beyond the first sitting of the new assembly on 2 July.
Germany security agency steps up watch of far-right AfD
Germany's domestic intelligence will step up monitoring for political extremism of the far-right AfD party, sources said Tuesday (15 January), a blow to the party in a busy election year.
Salvini calls for ‘Italian-Polish axis’ to replace Paris-Berlin
Italy's far-right Interior Minister Matteo Salvini on Wednesday (9 January) said populists from Italy and Poland should spark a "European spring" to replace the centre-right influence of Germany and France, ahead of key EU elections.
Belgium’s Charles Michel to stay on heading caretaker government
Belgian King Philippe accepted the resignation of Prime Minister Charles Michel on Friday (21 December) and requested his government stay on in a caretaker capacity for the coming months after his coalition split following an argument over migration.