Community citizens are called to vote on the composition of the European Parliament (EP) in June, after a legislature in which the institution has had a “stronger” role, according to its spokesperson, Jaume Duch. The lawyer from Barcelona and general director of Communication of the European Parliament recognizes that a rise of the extreme right is expected but rules out that it will obtain the majority: “The projections suggest that there will be a certain increase in these forces but there will also continue to be a majority of the classic political families linked to the construction of Europe”.
Could the conservatives reach an agreement with the extreme right?
Many voices in Brussels insist on the importance that Europe must be governed with very majority and constructive coalitions, which seek feasible solutions and not solutions that are easily sold but do not work later.
Have you detected more interest in these elections?
According to the Eurobarometer, there are 71% of citizens who recognize that what is decided in Brussels or Strasbourg has an impact on their lives. There are also 69% of people who affirm that they would go to vote if the elections were next week, nine points more than before the 2019 elections.
For what is this?
The level of visibility of the European Union has been stronger than ever in the last five years. Due to Brexit, the pandemic, the recovery plan, the war in Ukraine or the sanctions against Russia, among many other issues. When the European elections arrive people will have a stronger memory of the legacy of this legislature than they may have had in the past. These elections are more politically charged than previous ones and are more connected to the national reality of each country. Citizens will have to choose what role they want Europe to play in a world that is increasingly complicated and competitive.
If Donald Trump wins in the US in November and, as expected, leaves Europe alone in its support for Ukraine. What role will the European Parliament play in community defense?
The European and American elections will affect us. The difference is that in the former we can vote and in the latter we cannot. The candidate Donald Trump a few days ago was still making statements questioning the need to stay in NATO, he continues to think that Europe is not one of his priorities. If Trump wins, we have to take strategic autonomy very seriously, which has a very important security and defense component. Due to the war in Ukraine, progress has been made in this direction in recent years. But depending on what happens in the US elections, we will encounter this sense of urgency that makes things accelerate.
A Latvian MEP was spying for Russia for years, The Insider reported last week. What do you know about her?
She is a Latvian citizen known for her pro-Russian political affiliation and chosen by a part of the Russian speakers in Latvia. The accusations are taken very seriously and the EP President will take the case to the Advisory Committee on the Conduct of Members and the Conference of Presidents of the European Parliament. Sometimes it also seems that the EP has to decide who can be a deputy, when it is a matter that concerns the judicial authorities of the member states.
Before, there was the perception that politicians who wanted to leave were sent to Brussels. What is reality in it today?
Now it’s the opposite. In the EP there is a generation of quite young politicians who later make the leap into national politics at the top. If we look at the foreign ministers of EU countries we find many who have been MEPs, such as the Frenchman Stéphane Sejourné. That time of early retirement corresponds to a parliament that has nothing to do with the current one.
Energy transition policies are causing tensions with farmers across Europe. Will this issue mark the next legislature?
Indeed. On the one hand, there is absolute conviction that climate change must be fought and therefore this package of measures that we call the Green Deal must be completed. On the other hand, we see that if these measures are not accompanied by economic support they may be viewed negatively by the primary sector. And there must also be an EU reindustrialization policy, which involves moderating globalization.
And what does this imply?
Giving the EU the tools that were delegated to third countries for economic reasons: access to energy, basic products, valuable land or minerals for technological development… This will only work if the necessary economic incentives or the cushion of essential social policies. This also means improving the EU financing system. Finding a way to advance these issues in a way that people see as having benefits will be difficult.
