At least one thing unites Europeans across borders. People only know the politicians of their own country.
In a Europe fragmented into many language areas and political cultures, the lack of common public debate has often been seen as one of the bottlenecks of EU integration.
It’s okay. ‘s list of ten European election candidates, by following which you can get a map of the Union’s politics.
Terry Reintken of the German Greens would renew the climate goals
In Germany, the bickering between the environmentally conscious left and the economic growth-oriented right has often escalated into a debate about the climate.
Green MEP and European election candidate Terry Reintken according to which the EU should aim for climate neutrality by 2040. Achieving this would require, among other things, more energy-efficient apartments, more electric cars and less meat production.
The Finnish Greens, among others, belong to the same parliamentary group as Reintke.
Fatih Mehmed Zingal, rising voice of Turks in Germany
In Germany, the new DAVA party is seeking the votes of the Turks living in the country in the European elections. The party’s top candidate is Fatih Mehmed Zingala 45-year-old lawyer from Frankfurt.
About three million people of Turkish descent live in Germany, about half of whom have the right to vote. Many see the DAVA party as the German branch of Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party.
Italy’s Gozi would conclude a new basic agreement with the EU
In Italy, it is common to talk about the EU through immigration and the economy. After Russia attacked Ukraine, the Union’s security policy has also come to the fore.
Aspiring to the EU Parliament for the next term Sandro Gozin according to which the EU should develop the defense industry. Gozi supports the enlargement of the EU and advocates changing the Union’s basic rules.
In his opinion, decisions regarding security issues should be made by qualified majority instead of unanimity. Gozi belongs to the Renewing Europe or Renew group in the European Parliament. It also includes MEPs from central Finland and RKP.
What do European voters want from MEPs? – Watch the video
Raphaël Glucksmann – the new hope of the French left
French Raphael Glucksmann founded the center-left Place Publique party in 2018 and was elected to the European Parliament the following year.
In the spring, Glucksmann won Parliament Magazine’s “Rising Star” award. He would like to reform the EU by getting rid of the unanimity requirement on issues that member countries consider sensitive.
Glucksmann’s success in the upcoming elections is considered almost certain, but the future group is a question mark.
An Italian general is trying to stop Salvini’s descent
In Italy, the support of the anti-immigration La Lega party has also flowed into the ranks of the nationalist Italian Brothers party in recent years.
To the Euroarena Matteo Salvini led by La Lega has nominated a candidate who is hoped to make the party a visible force again both in Italy and in Brussels.
General Roberto Vannacci is one of Italy’s most experienced soldiers. He has led the country’s forces in, for example, Afghanistan, Iraq and the Balkans.
The general rose to fame last summer after publishing a manifesto in which he criticized feminism, multiculturalism and sexual minorities. The strict reckoning got Vannacc fired from the armed forces.
Spain’s former minister for equality aims for Brussels
In Spain, the leading candidate for the European elections of the left-wing Podemos party is Irene Montero. He campaigned on themes familiar to Podemos, such as promoting equality and improving workers’ rights.
Montero, who served as Spain’s Minister of Equality from 2020 to 2023, became the face of the country’s new sex crime law, which emphasizes consent.
Montero has fueled the war in Ukraine with traditional left-wing rhetoric.
– War is the business of big companies, Montero commented in an election debate on Spanish television.
In Hungary, Anna Donáth competes for the pole position of the opposition
Representing the Momentum Liberal Party Anna Donáth is a good barometer for the political climate in Hungary, as he is considered one of the most important representatives of the opposition.
Hungary, which is vying against Brussels, is scheduled to take up the presidency of the EU in July, and the country’s importance in the Union’s politics is growing.
Donáth’s passage is not certain, because the prime minister Viktor Orbán the opposing Hungarians have plenty of choice in the European elections. Especially the one who left the Fidesz party by Peter Magyar support is on the rise.
Austria’s Baier wants peace talks with Russia
Of the 27 member states of the EU, only Ireland, Austria, Cyprus and Malta are outside NATO. Austria’s neutrality is also reflected in Brussels through MEPs.
by Walter Baier The European Left Party, led by
Baier is not a candidate for MEP, but as his party’s number one candidate, he can compete for the position of Commission President.
The mannequin of the swaying group opposes Ukraine’s EU membership
In the European Parliament, the far-right representatives are divided into two groups, ECR and ID. The unofficial front image of the more radical Identity and Democracy group is a Danish meppi Anders Vistisenwhich aims for the second season.
It’s just unclear what and how big a group he represents after the election.
The ID group expelled Germany’s far-right AfD party in May, when the French right-wing party National Alliance announced that cooperation with it would no longer be possible.
Vistisen has demanded more measures from the EU to support Ukraine, but opposed accepting Ukraine as a member of the Union.
A Romanian priest accelerates the culture war
A Romanian MP who served in the ECR group of the right-wing conservatives last season Cristian Terheș strives for the second season with a sly campaign.
For a priest known for his active Facebook broadcasts, the red garment is especially a modern equality movement.
– If you cannot define what a woman is, how can you protect women? Terhes tutored representatives of the European Parliament’s left in the last session.
Terhes, representing the Union of Romanians party, is being asked for a possible further term in the European Parliament, but it is unclear whether the ECR group will welcome him again with open arms.
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