European Union

The elections to the European Parliament began today, Thursday, with the opening of polling stations in the Netherlands. Voting will take place in the Czech Republic and Ireland on Friday, followed by Italy, Latvia, Slovakia and Malta on Saturday and the remaining countries on Sunday. A glance at the European commentaries shows that EU citizens' expectations regarding the MEPs and the outcome of the elections vary widely.

Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico, who was seriously injured in an attack around three weeks ago, has posted a video message on Facebook. The 59-year-old said he forgave the attacker but blamed the opposition and the media for creating a climate of hatred. Slovakian commentators lament that Fico's words have done nothing to calm the situation in the country.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has emerged victorious from India's parliamentary elections and is set for a third term in office, but his Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) suffered major losses. Without an absolute majority in the lower house of parliament it will now have to rely on coalition partners. Europe's press takes stock.

This week, over 350 million voters will elect the 720 members of the European Parliament. Stay up to date with Euractiv’s liveblog.

Germany wants to start deporting migrants who commit crimes on its territory to their home countries, including Afghanistan, following a suspected Islamist knife attack in late May, Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Thursday (6 June) as parties rush to quash security concerns ahead of the EU elections. 

Nina Skočak's TikTok videos get hundreds of thousands of views and the young makeup and vintage fashion expert hopes her popularity will win her a seat in the European Parliament on Sunday (9 June).

When asked about Vladimir Putin's non-invitation to the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings, several French far-right leaders expressed divergent positions, while National Rally long-standing leader Marine Le Pen evaded the question.

Enlargement to the East, and to the Western Balkans, is a geostrategic imperative and will require reforms on both sides, writes Paulo Rangel.

As the election campaign ends, the "Use your vote" film, highlighting the importance of voting and safeguarding democracy, has been viewed more than 504 million times.

Source : © European Union, 2024 - EP

As the election campaign ends, the "Use your vote" film, highlighting the importance of voting and safeguarding democracy, has been viewed more than 504 million times.

Source : © European Union, 2024 - EP