Polish New Left candidate stresses energy of youth vote in European elections – Europe reside | Europe

Lisa O’Carroll

An EU commissioner has launched a scathing assault on Ursula von der Leyen, the European Fee president who’s searching for a second time period, branding her management fashion “unacceptable”.

Nicolas Schmit, the lead candidate for the socialist bloc on this week’s European parliamentary elections, lifted the lid on the behind-the-scenes deal she had hashed out with Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni over migration from Tunisia final summer time.

The deal, which provided cash to Tunis, in alternate for clamping down on individuals smugglers, was sprung on the commissioners with out discover.

“It got here on a Friday afternoon and we had one hour to say no. If after one hour, you hadn’t stated something it was sure. That is unacceptable,” the Luxembourger informed the Monetary Occasions.

He stated the way in which Tunisia treats refugees is “simply surprising”, contrasting the take care of Turkey in 2016, the place he stated EU cash was given to NGOs somewhat than safety forces.

Schmit has earlier criticised von der Leyen however not in such an specific approach.

He was not too long ago one of many three commissioners, together with French commissioner Thierry Breton, who criticised the president for the way in which wherein she employed a small enterprise envoy.

He additionally stated the socialists wouldn’t be backing von der Leyen for a second time period as European Fee president if she did a take care of the unconventional proper wing political group in parliament, the European Reformists and Conservatives (ECR).

Fee spokesperson Eric Mamer informed the FT the method round selections was “collegial”.

Piotr Stolecki, a candidate for Poland 2050 – a part of the Third Manner alliance – stated in a cellphone interview that “we’re very fearful concerning the turnout.”

“There’s a fatigue,” he stated, including that “the political events have been very late with the with the European marketing campaign.”

“We try to maximise the turnout by consistently messaging individuals by way of social media, by way of media, that these elections are very, essential due to the scenario in Europe, due to the scenario in Ukraine, and so on. And to not let too many populist and right-wing events to win the seats,” he added.

“There’s a huge push proper now,” Stolecki famous.

Poland’s Regulation and Justice is a key member of the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group within the European parliament.

There was important hypothesis that the ECR will evolve within the subsequent European parliament – and that it might tackle new members equivalent to Hungary’s ruling Fidesz social gathering, which is at the moment not a member of any European political household.

Requested concerning the potential growth of the ECR, Anna Fotyga, a longtime member of the European parliament and Regulation and Justice, stated:

“I’m skilled sufficient to attend for election outcomes,” she stated, including: “it is rather troublesome to calculate earlier.”

Fotyga stated she was “disillusioned” by adjustments inside the ECR because of Brexit, noting that it had a “superb composition” with the British conservatives. “But we managed to maintain the stability,” she stated.

“After all, we’re proud of prospects of increasing the group, however merely await the ultimate outcomes,” she stated.

Robert Biedroń, a member of the European parliament from Poland’s New Left, stated in an electronic mail that “if I ought to describe our purpose in only one phrase, it could positively be mobilisation and invites of younger voters to take part within the elections.”

“They need to perceive the ability of change they possess,” he stated.

He described his social gathering’s priorities as “social housing, enchancment of girls’s rights (liberalisation of abortion legislation as of the highest on the time being), provide for younger individuals (cease to unpaid internships, one ticket for EU journey), and final however not least topics restoring Polish democracy after 8 years of PiS authorities.”

Biedroń, who within the outgoing parliament chaired the committee on ladies’s rights and gender equality, added:

In face of rising populism the entire EU, the European parliament marketing campaign is taking an distinctive significance.

The selection made on 9 of June won’t solely form the brand new European parliament but additionally the way forward for the EU.

Subsequently, each day we marketing campaign to struggle the anti- EU narratives and to power the EU integration.

We’ll now transfer on to Poland, the place residents will likely be electing 53 members of the European parliament.

The newest polls present the centrist Civic Coalition with a slim lead over the conservative Regulation and Justice.

Requested about hypothesis that the centre-right European Individuals’s social gathering would divulge heart’s contents to cooperation with hard-right forces from the European Conservatives and Reformists group, Kokalari – whose Reasonable social gathering is a member of the EPP – stated that “the entire logic within the European parliament is that we have to negotiate collectively and to achieve compromises.”

“I feel it would proceed because it’s finished earlier than, that we attempt to attain compromises on laws the place we will discover majorities. And in some points, it will likely be with some social gathering teams, and in another points, it will likely be others. So I don’t suppose that can change,” she stated.

She added:

What is going to change, I hope is that the EPP group – my social gathering group – may have a much bigger probability to have an effect on the European insurance policies, as a result of because the pattern appears just like the liberals and the left facet of the parliament will likely be lowering, after which we see the events on the far proper will improve, which implies that from the EPP facet, we will – I hope – be those that everybody desires to speak to.

And I feel that we’re very a lot centered on delivering outcomes for the residents in Europe.

Kokalari pressured, nonetheless, that there are limits.

“However after all, we even have purple traces,” she stated, noting that Ursula von der Leyen and her social gathering “have set purple traces that we are going to not settle for compromising or working with events who’re towards Ukraine, towards Europe and towards democracy and the rule of legislation – that’s the foundation for us.”

Arba Kokalari, a candidate for Sweden’s centre-right Reasonable social gathering, informed the Guardian that “there’s a normal increased consciousness concerning the EU elections, and the significance to vote.”

In a cellphone interview, Kokalari, a member of the European parliament since 2019, famous that turnout in European elections is normally decrease in Sweden than in nationwide elections.

“However this time – and I’ve been in lots of campaigns, many European election campaigns, truly for the final 20 years – and that is the primary time I really feel that there’s a a lot increased curiosity,” she stated.

She added that “I feel the rationale for that’s the Russian conflict in Ukraine, we’ve had the COVID pandemic … the significance of European cooperation, I feel, has turn out to be very apparent and clear for the Swedish voters.”

Requested what points voters are mentioning on the marketing campaign path, Kokalari stated that “normally, it’s not notably one problem that’s dominating. It’s a number of considerations, and I’d say that it’s the local weather, it’s migration, it’s the struggle towards criminality, which is probably the most severe problem in Sweden proper now, and naturally, the help for Ukraine.”

Voters will go to the polls in Sweden on Sunday to elect 21 members of the European parliament.

The Social Democrats are main in opinion polls. The far-right Sweden Democrats and centre-right Moderates are neck-to-neck for second place, in response to the polls.

Evin Incir, a member of the European parliament from the Swedish Social Democratic social gathering who’s operating for re-election, informed the Guardian that she is “fearful that the far-right, conservative and liberal teams will be a part of forces” within the subsequent European parliament.

“I hope that state of affairs received’t occur,” she stated in a cellphone interview, including that a few of these teams have already come collectively to “shoot down” or “water down” local weather and setting initiatives.

Whereas as a social democrat her purpose could be a “progressive” parliament, Incir stated a “reasonable” hope for the subsequent European parliament could be a centrist coalition.

Good morning and welcome again to the Europe weblog.

This week we’re specializing in campaigns throughout Europe forward of this weekend’s elections.

Yesterday, we heard from candidates in Denmark and the Baltics.

At the moment, we are going to delve into campaigns in Sweden, Finland, Poland and extra.

Ship ideas and feedback to [email protected].