Will European Vote Affect Relationship with U. S.?

Vit Nosek, Staff Writer, Advanced Journalism

Over the course of the last several days, 28 member states of the European Union voted their representatives for the European Parliament. The European Parliament is one of the main three bodies of the European Union and all deputies are directly chosen by all 400 million EU citizens.

The poll is, next to India, the largest democratic exercise in the world.

The first idea of a common group for Western European countries was created after World War II, in order to prevent any other war crimes, gain long-lasting peace and improve trade relations.

Formally, the European Union was established when the Maastricht Treaty came into force in 1993. In the past several years, many great accomplishments were made, such as establishing a common market and creating educational and jobs opportunities.

The main program is called the Schengen area, which basically guarantees freedom of movement and security for more than 400 million people around Europe. The single market is a major achievement as well because it has paved the way for more competition, better efficiency and lower prices.

Despite many positive aspects of the common European integration, the EU has been criticized for its bureaucracy and undermining national sovereignty. That’s why the 2019 European elections are so important. The elections don’t only set 751 deputies for the next five years, but it also determines political progress in Europe for the future.

Another reason why the elections drew a lot of attention was the fear of far-right political parties. After the major refugee crisis in 2016, nationalist and populist parties went through a significant rise, especially in countries like France, Italy, and Hungary.  

Similar to the United States, young Europeans went to the streets all over Europe to protest against climate change with a slogan “save our future.”

Students from Western Europe led by 16-year-old Swedish activist Greta Thunberg have been calling the EU to address this issue. That’s why green political parties received huge support in the last months.

After all results were released, expectations confirmed the reality: the centrist bloc lost its  majority in the EU vote as Greens and anti-Europeans gain. A few major European leaders were defeated, including French President Macron and UK Prime Minister Theresa May.

An even more diverse parliament is going to be full of compromises and common solutions due to many political fractions. Therefore, this might also threaten relationships with Asia and America for its internal instability and radical attitude.