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EU elections and voters' main concerns

2024-06-09 19:07:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Tens of millions of people across the European Union are voting today for the new European Parliament. These elections are expected to shift the bloc further to the right and potentially give another direction to the European Union. The war in Ukraine, the impact of climate policies on farmers and migration are some of the main concerns of voters as they cast their ballots for the 720 members of the European Parliament. Official voting results cannot be published before the last polling stations close in Italy at 23:00. However, some data will be published by the European Parliament itself at 14:30 today.

The European Parliament in Brussels was covered in banners urging citizens to vote on Sunday, the final day of the four-day election. On Sunday, 21 EU countries vote, including France and Germany.

In France, while the leader of the hard right Marine Le Pen is not on the list of candidates, she is expected to be the main winner of these elections. The polls show her party "Tubimi Kombëtar" as the winner with 33% of the votes. The rival "Renaissance" party of President Emmanuel Macron, according to polls, could get over 14%, while the French Socialists are expected to win 13% of the vote.

"My vote is about the war in Ukraine. A good question is who can get us out of this war? I don't think anyone can. But if we have a strong Europe, then maybe we will reach that point", says Marie Toberghien, French voter.

The election will affect how the European Union, a bloc of 450 million citizens, faces challenges. Among the main challenges are hostile actions from Russia, increased industrial rivalry from China and the United States, climate change and immigration.

Across Europe, the nationalist anti-immigration ideas that Ms Le Pen has long championed are gaining ground.

In Italy, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's party is also expected to secure victory.

"I hope that Europe will change because what we have seen so far has not been a Europe for Europe. We have never been the 'United States of Europe' as everyone looks out for their own interests. But now you have a European Union leading us, so I don't understand why we should continue with this Europe", says Paolo Taddeo, a resident of Rome.

Since the last EU elections in 2019, populist or far-right parties now lead governments in three countries: Hungary, Slovakia and Italy. Several similar parties are part of the governing coalition in countries such as Sweden, Finland and, soon, also in the Netherlands. Polls also give populists an advantage in Belgium and Austria.

Greece is the country with the least positive views on the European Union. According to a survey, 53% of Greeks have a negative attitude towards the EU. Another poll says that Greeks also have little interest in participating in these elections.

Based on this, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis asked Greeks to participate in these elections so that Greece has a strong voice in the European Parliament.

"In the next five years, very important decisions will be made in Europe and it is very important that there is a strong Greek voice in the European Parliament, so that Greece gets as much as possible from Europe," said Mr. Mitsotakis after throwing his vote.

Polls predict pro-European liberals and the Greens will lose seats, shrinking the center-right and center-left majorities. This will make efforts to pass new EU laws more difficult.

The centre-right European People's Party is set to remain the largest group in the European Parliament. This puts his candidate, current European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, in a favorable position to be re-elected for a second term.

However, she may need support from some right-wing nationalists, such as Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's Brothers of Italy, to secure a parliamentary majority, giving Ms Meloni and allies the chance to strengthen their position.

Official voting results cannot be published before the last polling stations close in Italy at 23:00. However, some data will be published by the European Parliament itself at 14:30 today./ VOA