The elections for the House of Representatives have not yet produced a new government. In the meantime, we are already looking ahead to the next elections: those for the European Parliament.
These European elections have already been labeled by many as the most important European elections ever. It cannot be denied that the result will have a major influence on European policy and therefore also on Dutch policy. In the Netherlands, the victory of the PVV in the election in November last year showed that the radical right is gaining influence. This is echoed in the right's victories in Italy, Finland and Sweden. In Belgium, Germany, France, Portugal and Austria, right-wing radical parties have risen in the polls. It is currently predicted that Eurosceptic parties will have a quarter of the seats in the European Parliament.
The European Union affects almost every topic in the daily lives of Dutch people, from migration, the environment and trade to food safety, energy and culture. It is therefore important for Dutch people to make their voices heard. This year, the Netherlands has 31 seats in the European Parliament to distribute, two more than in previous years because 15 seats have been added to parliament. Last month, a survey by Ipsos I&O showed that 25 percent of Dutch voters who want to vote on June 6 plan to cast their vote for PVV. This would result in nine seats for the party; in the previous elections the party had zero. According to the poll, GroenLinks-PvdA would become the second party, comparable to their current position in the House of Representatives. The latter party has already published the draft election manifesto.
Immigration is the most important topic of the coming elections according to the Dutch. This is where right-wing radical parties can exert a lot of influence. These European elections are extra important this year because of the war in Ukraine. President of the European Commission Von der Leyen sees security and defense as one of the most important priorities for the European Union. According to her, defense spending must increase.
The theme of climate change is the third topic for the Dutch in the upcoming elections. This will be put extra clearly on the agenda by the recent victory of the so-called 'Klimaseniorinnen' in Switzerland, who successfully sued the Swiss government at the European Court of Human Rights for violating human rights by conducting a lax climate policy. The effects of this ruling are not yet clear for the rest of the Member States.
Because the European elections are so important for Dutch organizations, we are organizing a meeting to discuss this further at Issuemakers. We would like to invite you to this. If you are interested, you can register now, the date will come later. Sign in here On!
