What does the European Parliament?
Who is up for the race this year?
How can I vote?
Why should I vote?
The upcoming elections for the European Parliament are taking place between 23 May and 26 May 2019 and allow more than 500 million people on the European continent to democratically participate in the EU. It is the ninth time that the election takes place since 1979 and it could be more decisive for the destiny of the EU than ever before. In times of Brexit and rising right-centered ideologies preferring conservative nationalism over multilateral cooperation a strong sign of the European citizens is needed to vote for a united and liberal Europe. Therefore, this article summarises all the relevant information you need for the upcoming elections. Moreover, I am convinced that especially younger people and students within the EU have to be aware of the chance to influence European politics with their vote why this text should also be seen as an appeal addressed to them.
What does the European Parliament?
The first question that comes up regarding the European Parliament’s elections is what effect my single vote has. For sure, many of you are familiar with the framework of the EU and the Parliament’s position within it but the most relevant aspects should be highlighted briefly: The European Parliament as the only directly elected institution on EU level contributes the most important part of democratic legitimacy to the EU. With its role as a co-legislator it participates in almost every EU legislative act. Beside that, it monitors the European Council, is involved in the EU budgetary process and finally controls the European Commission. Since the election in 2014 the European Parliament has additionally the powerful competence to approve the Spitzenkandidat of the political parties and the new built European Commission after hearing every potential Commissioner publicly. Parallelly, the European Parliament can revoke this approval by abolishing the entire Commission with a non-confidence vote.
This small enumeration shows already how many important tasks are centralised under the roof of the Parliament. That is why passionate and industrious delegates are needed to take care of this powers. This is where our vote comes into play. The final decision is with us to say who represents us as a European Citizen on the EU level.
Who is up for the race this year?
Usually the European Parliament is composed by 751 members one of them being elected as the president of the parliament. If the Great Britain leaves the EU as planned on 29 March 2019 this number will be reduced to 705 seats. Depending on the size of the population each Member State sends between 6 and 96 members to the parliament which organize themselves in political groups. These groups or parties get together based on the political ideology of the delegates and not based on nationality. Currently there are eight different political parties in the European Parliament: ALDE (Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Party), EPP (European People’s Party), S&D (Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats), Greens and EFA (European Greens and European Free Alliance), GUE/NGL (European United Left and Nordic Green Left) ECR (European Conservatives and Reformists, EFDD (Europe of Freedom and Direct Democracy) and ENF (Europe of Nations and Freedom). The by far two biggest groups are EPP and S&D. The Spitzenkandidat for the former group is the German Manfred Weber and for the Democrats is the Dutch Frans Timmermans. If you want to get more detailed information of the profile of the single political groups just visit the European Parliament’s website (http://www.europarl.europa.eu/at-your-service/en/be-heard/elections).
How can I vote?
Participating in the European Election is easily feasible. If you reside currently in the Netherlands and have the citizenship of another Member State of the EU, you even have two possibilities. Possibility one is to participate in the election in the Netherlands by voting for the candidates running for the district you live in. To do so you have to be registered with the municipality and you will receive the ‘Declaration on voting for the European Parliament in the Netherlands’ After filling it in and sending it back before 4 April 2019 you will receive your invitation to vote and your polling card with which you can vote on 23 May 2019 at any polling station in Maastricht. In the Netherlands a so-called open list system is employed which means you can vote directly one specific candidate.
However, as a student living abroad in the Netherlands you also have the possibility to vote for the candidates of your home-country. The single requirements to do so depend on the domestic law of your home-country (an overview for every single Member State can be found here https://www.european-elections.eu/how-to-vote/from-abroad). Only for Slovakia, Malta, Ireland and the Czech Republic do not provide the opportunity to vote from abroad. In all other Member States postal vote, e-voting (in Estonia) or voting at the embassy in your host-country is possible.
Why should I vote?
The last paragraph of this article covers the most important question but from my point of view also the easiest question to answer. I am convinced that in times of globalization the EU is the only institution that provides adequate opportunities to fight current problems of the world. Only the EU can effectively combat climate change, can efficiently deal with questions of migration and only all Member States together are able to compete with big economic global players such as China or the USA. Of course, many arguments can be found to criticize the EU and naturally issues with the EU legal framework exist but, simply spoken, going back to closed borders, hundreds of bilateral agreements between countries and nationalism does not offer a real alternative to solve the above-mentioned problems.
If you are still questioning what the EU has done and reached so far to make our lives better , I recommend you the EU Parliaments website (
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/press-room/elections-press-kit/3/what-europe-does-for-me
) where you can additionally look for concrete projects in your home region where the EU supported local authorities. For example, you can discover that the University of Maastricht received more than 50 million Euro from the EU’s Horizon 2020 program between 2014 and 2020. Furthermore, the EU invests and helps to protect 23 special natural areas in Limburg including the Groote Peel national park and Mount St Peters. These examples are just the tip of the iceberg and I am sure you will find at least one interesting project supported by the EU in your region. So, visit the website and check it out.
Please vote in favor of more Europe!
I’d like to conclude my article with a small appeal addressed to all of you who are unsure to vote or think that the administrative effort is not worth it. The single Member States offer many opportunities to participate in the European elections. However, it is us who have to take the chance and don’t rely on the hope that the voices of others are enough. The likely Brexit is the best example for disappointed young people who did not go to the elections thinking the worst case could never happen and now fear an unclear future. This example does not have the aim to frighten you but it shows that we have the duty to defend our common values in the EU and take the future in our own hands. Far-right positions and nationalistic movements and try to seek seemingly easy and national solutions for issues that go far beyond the powers of a single state. Let us show them that we are too smart to believe that and have grown together as Europeans on our continent. To shape my own future as an EU citizen, that’s why #thistimeimvoting.eu.
Sebastian Gajek