Changing places in the European Union, latest CIFE Policy Paper by Andrew Duff*

"The elections of 23-26 May 2019 were something of a revolution for the European Parliament. The very best news is the increase in voter turnout from 42% in 2014 to 51% - the only upturn since the Parliament was first directly elected in 1979. The electorate has begun to pay attention to the European Union. Whether they love or loathe the Parliament, voters apparently agree it matters. 

The final reconfiguration of the House will not be known until 2 July, when the new MEPs take their seats in Strasbourg for the first time. But two remarkable changes will have taken place. First, the turnover in membership now surpasses 60%, which means the new Parliament will take some time to settle down. Many well-known names from previous mandates have retired, were deselected by their parties or failed to get re-elected. These notables include the father of the outgoing House, Elmar Brok, as well as Jo Leinen, Mercedes Bresso, Alain Lamassoure, Pervenches Berès, David Martin and Inge Grässle. (...)"

*Andrew Duff is President of the Spinelli Group, European Policy Centre (EPC) Academic Fellow, and a former MEP (1999-2014).

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