In the spring of next year, more than 400 million voters in 27 EU member states will be called to elect the new 705-seat European Parliament (EP). Despite its limited executive powers, the EP elects the presidents of the EU institutions – the Council, the Commission, and the EP – and then approves the commissioners.
The EU faces some formidable challenges as both the governance and the geopolitical backdrop can only be addressed by substantial reforms.
EP president Roberta Metsola, who announced the date of the election last week, has urged voters to use their right to vote arguing: “It is time to reform, to change.”
The most urgent reform is arguably that relating to upgrading the union’s security in the light of the Ukraine war. This issue is much more complicated as the US will elect its next president in 2024.
The Economist argues: “A spectre is haunting Europe – the spectre of Trumpism rebooted”. If either Donald Trump or his Republican rival Ron DeSantis is elected, Europe’s task of upgrading its security will be even more difficult than it already is.
Protecting the union’s border on the east is crucial if prosperity is to be pursued in the old continent. But EU leaders remain divided mainly on how Russia’s territorial ambitions must be nipped in the bud. Mutual suspicion among the various national leaders of the EU is the Achilles heel that can stall the much-needed reforms to make the EU a credible world power that constantly improves the lives of its people.
The governance structure of the EU also needs urgent reforms. The right of member states to veto important reform decisions could eventually undermine the very existence of the union. It looks inevitable that unless the Council agrees to introduce relative majority voting on critical strategic issues, the EU may evolve into a two-tier union. The larger member states would go ahead with reforms while the rest pursue mainly internal trade objectives.
Convincing more citizens that the EP matters for their lives... will be the most formidable short-term challenge facing this institution
The EU’s economic ambitions are challenging. The greening of the economy, decreasing the reliance on imported fossil fuels, encouraging industry to tackle climate change more effectively, reforming labour markets, addressing the risks of worsening demographics and taming high inflation are pressing issues that must be dealt with in the next five years and beyond.
Irrespective of who is elected US president, the relationship between the West’s two biggest democracies will no longer be the same as in the last seven decades. Europe needs to upgrade its defence and economy to address the new realities that call for new strategies to promote peace and economic prosperity for all citizens.
Last September, the EP overwhelmingly approved a resolution saying Hungary could no longer be considered a full democracy. Instead, it termed the Central European EU member “a hybrid regime of electoral autocracy.”
Enforcing the rule of law and fundamental rights in the union will continue to be a divisive issue that diverts attention away from the other urgent matters that need laser-sharp focus.
The EP has a critical role to play in steering the Council and the Commission to focus on the issues that matter to ordinary people. It is an institution whose members are elected directly by European citizens, and its opinions and decisions have to be given the weight they deserve.
Ultimately, convincing more citizens that the EP matters for their lives – and that they should, therefore, vote even if only in self-interest – will be the most formidable short-term challenge facing this institution.