About: European Parliament elections
Syriza minister: Tajani represents the austerity establishment
Austerity widens social and economic disparities at the expense of the majority of people. EPP candidate for European Parliament President, Antonio Tajani, has always been a representative of the austerity establishment, Panagiotis Kouroumplis said in an interview with EURACTIV.com.
Pittella: ‘Small and big groups will be equal’ in my Parliament
If he becomes the next president of the European Parliament, Gianni Pittella, the candidate for the Socialists and Democrats (S&D) group, promises to open a “new phase” in which all political groups have equal rights in shaping decisions.
Tajani: ‘I will be a president who fights for values’
As it continues to reduce public debt, Europe should stick to the "social economy model" and ensure no one is left behind by globalisation, Italian MEP Antonio Tajani, the European People's Party (EPP) group's candidate for the Parliament presidency, said in an interview with EURACTIV.com.
Sajjad Karim: Juncker’s EU Commission bid is not backed by the Treaty
There is nothing in the EU treaties that means Jean-Claude Juncker must be the next European Commission President, Sajjad Karim told EURACTIV, before arguing that the rise of extreme parties in Europe was a message from voters demanding reform of the European Union.
Stanishev: Making the Commission president more democratic
The Party of European Socialists will have a transparent and democratic process when electing its European Commission presidential candidate, says the group's leader, Sergei Stanishev.
Duff: Next EU election campaign should be ‘enjoyable’
Reform of the EU electoral system to be voted on tomorrow (7 July) in the European Parliament should make sure that voters across the Union and the media actually "enjoy" European election campaigns, UK Liberal Democrat MEP Andrew Duff told EURACTIV Germany in an exclusive interview.
Duff: Look to transnational list for Barroso’s successor
Anti-federalists loathe the idea of introducing a transnational list of 25 MEPs in the next European Parliament, because they fear one of them would gain the legitimacy to claim to become the next Commission President, MEP Andrew Duff told EURACTIV in an exclusive interview.
PM Borissov: Bulgaria ‘cuts through living flesh’ to balance budget
Despite having made deep and painful cuts to its administration to avoid IMF assistance as it strives to join the euro zone, Bulgaria's new government enjoys wide popular support, Prime Minister Boyko Borissov told EURACTIV in an interview.
PA boss: ‘Backlash against Anglo-Saxon model’ expected in new Parliament
The next European Parliament legislature will be characterised by a "backlash" against the British-American economic model, Michiel Van Hulten of PA firm Burson-Marsteller told EURACTIV in an interview, predicting that the centre-right EPP and centre-left S&D groups are "likely to argue for much tighter regulation of the economy".
PA head: New Parliament to be ‘more pro-business, less green’
The new European Parliament is likely to be 'more pro-business' and more industry-friendly', adopting a less 'green' stance on major policy issues, Jacques Lafitte of consultancy Avisa told EURACTIV in an interview, predicting that a new majority coalition will emerge between the EPP, ALDE and the new conservative group.
Lobby chief: Lisbon Agenda failed to ‘dynamise’ European project
The EU's flagship Lisbon Agenda for boosting growth and jobs has failed to "dynamise and galvanise European forces" around the European project, José Lalloum, managing partner of Logos Public Affairs, told EURACTIV in an interview, calling for the strategy to be revived.
PA chief: New Parliament will be ‘issue-specific’
Coalitions in the European Parliament have always been "issue-specific" and will continue to be that way in the new legislature, Georg Danell, managing partner in the Brussels office of public affairs firm Kreab Gavin Anderson, told EURACTIV in an interview.
Consultant: UK’s Cameron ‘cannot afford’ EU isolation
Tory leader and potential future UK prime minister David Cameron will soon realise he "cannot afford" to become completely isolated in the EU after having "thrown away" British influence in the European Parliament by withdrawing Conservative MEPs from the European People's Party, Caroline Wunnerlich of consultancy Fleishman-Hillard told EURACTIV in an interview.
PR boss: More scope for ‘ideological coalitions’ in new Parliament
The large number of European People's Party MEPs, the heightened position of the Greens and the "strengthened infrastructure" of the Eurosceptics mean that the scope for forging ideological coalitions will increase in the new EU assembly, Laurent Chokoualé Datou of PR firm Edelman told EURACTIV in an interview.
PA manager: Mix between Brussels, national capitals key to EU lobbying
National capitals are vital spheres of influence in EU decision-making and stakeholders "cannot afford not to lobby there" as well as in Brussels, Julia Harrison, managing partner of public affairs consultancy Blueprint Partners, told EURACTIV in an interview.![Nigel Farage au Parlement européen, 2011, [EP/Flickr]](https://www.euractiv.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2014/06/Nigel_Farage_big2.jpeg)
New Eurosceptic group leader: ‘We’ll probe Irish Lisbon guarantees’
The Europe of Freedom and Democracy (EFD) group, a new far-right political faction in the European Parliament, intends to "invest some money getting a proper legal opinion on these 'guarantees' given to Ireland by EU leaders," Nigel Farage, the group’s co-President, told EURACTIV.
PA chief: Tories’ EU influence ‘to decline considerably’
British Conservatives MEPs' influence in the new European Parliament will "decline considerably" as a result of party leader David Cameron's decision to pull them out of the European People's Party (EPP), Elaine Cruikshanks, CEO of consultancy Hill and Knowlton's Brussels office, told EURACTIV in an interview.
Simon Hix: Centre-right won elections ‘on socialist ticket’
The European Parliament shifted to the right not because the centre-right won the EU elections, but rather due to the Socialists' inability to convince voters that they can tackle the economic crisis, Simon Hix, professor at the London School of Economics, told EURACTIV in an interview.
Former MEP: UK far-right success ‘won’t last’
The election success of the far-right British National Party (BNP) does not signal a major shift to the right in British politics, according to former British Labour MEP Richard Corbett, who lost his seat to the BNP in last weekend's European election.
MEP candidate: Polish EPP-ED chair ‘a sign of openness’
Polish Civic Platform (PO) MEP Jerzy Buzek's nomination as chair of the European Parliament's centre-right EPP-ED group would be "a great sign of openness," Dominique Lesage, a Polish candidate of French origin running on the Warsaw list of Prime Minister Donald Tusk's PO party in the EU elections, told EURACTIV in an interview.
Dutch politicians: EU poll results ‘disappointing’ and ‘shameful’
The projected results of the Dutch European elections, in which the far-right anti-EU and anti-immigration Freedom Party (PVV) have recorded huge successes, are "disappointing" and "shameful", leading candidates from the Netherlands' main centre-left and centre-right parties told EURACTIV in an interview.
UK Tory MEP: ‘We’ve clearly got a lot of people worried’
Establishing a new conservative, anti-Lisbon and anti-federalist group in the European Parliament will not weaken the European People's Party, Geoffrey Van Orden, a leading Conservative MEP, told EURACTIV in a telephone interview.
Voter survey head: EU politics ‘in danger’
The future of European politics is bleak unless politicians make an effort to change their blighted image and show more leadership, Dr. Ulrich Reinnhardt, CEO of the Stiftung für Zukunftsfragen (Foundation for Future Studies), a German think-tank, told EURACTIV in an interview. The foundation has released a comprehensive survey of European voters ahead of the June European elections.