EU elections are often regarded as second-rate polls in which national politics plays a bigger role than Europe, making it a test for parties in government. With less than 100 days to go, EurActiv looks at the power balance in Europe and how that could affect the European institutions’ next mandate.
Since 1979, the past seven European Parliament elections have served as an occasion for voters to either praise or punish the government in office.
Across EU member states, governments are run by mainstream parties gravitating around the centre of the political spectrum. A EurActiv overview (see infographic below) shows that socialists (belonging to the European Socialists & Democrats) and centre-right parties (belonging to European People’s Party) act as single or coalition partners in most of Europe’s governments… MORE
>> Click on the infographic for an overview of the balance of power in EU member states