2024-06-12 22:31:33
Filip Turek and Communist Kateřina Konečná have been considerably profitable within the European elections. Due to them, even voters who should not in any other case all in favour of European occasions went to the polls this time, thinks Viktor Daněk, the previous Brussels correspondent of the Czech Radio. “Individuals prefer to take dangers in European elections as a result of we nonetheless do not take the European Union significantly,” he says within the podcast.
Photograph: EU
Daněk emphasised that actual information should not but accessible, however based on him, it will likely be fascinating to see what’s behind the elevated voter turnout, which reached a report 36 p.c within the Czech Republic this 12 months. “We are going to see if they’re younger first-time voters or individuals who till now weren’t all in favour of European occasions and have been lured by politicians like Turek or Konečná,” provides Daněk, who now works as deputy director of the Europeum Institute.
In response to him, the results of the elections within the Czech Republic corresponds to how the European Union is reported within the public house. “Not even within the pre-election debate did we be taught, with some exceptions, how politicians need to reply to the issues that the European Parliament is actually fixing.”
The distribution of forces in Brussels and Strasbourg will probably be related after this 12 months’s European elections as earlier than. In the long run, the far proper didn’t develop as a lot as some feared, however its success will considerably weaken governments in Germany or France.
In France, the Nationwide Affiliation of Marine Le Pen gained, in Germany – and particularly within the federal states of the previous communist GDR – the Various for Germany considerably strengthened. French President Emmanuel Macron has known as early elections for June and the way forward for the nation is but to be determined. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has not but taken an analogous step, though the opposition has known as him to take action.
The ability of the brand new European Parliament
Viktor Danek | Photograph: Viktor Danek
“It may be disagreeable for the Czech Republic, as a result of Germany particularly usually voted with us, now which may change,” says Daněk, referring to the pressures German politicians will face at residence. In response to him, it may possibly affect voting not solely within the European Parliament, but in addition within the Council of the EU, which additionally approves European laws.
In response to Daňek, if the function of Germany and France weakens within the EU, the twenty-seventh will develop into extra fragile. This can even underline the brand new distribution of energy within the European Parliament. It’s due to this fact a query of what the brand new European Fee will appear to be.
“The MEPs are sometimes forgotten, however proper now they maintain all of the playing cards,” he factors out. “The final European Parliament was a lot greener, and when the fee was elected 5 years in the past, they needed to promise to push for stronger measures in alternate for his or her MEP help.”
You may hearken to your complete episode of the podcast Europe in reference to Viktor Daňek in all podcast purposes.