Because we will elect our representatives to the European Parliament on June 9, the decisive phase begins today. Unfortunately, parties and politicians often manipulate, camouflage and mislead.
1. Are the parties concerned about the EU rope?
No. Unfortunately, the European elections will have to serve as a dress rehearsal for the National Council election campaign in this country. Austria represents only three percent of all representatives in the European Parliament. Each party from our Alpine Republic has between 0.1 and less than one percent of all parliamentarians. In terms of power politics, it doesn’t matter to the ÖVP, SPÖ, FPÖ and so on whether they have one of their people more or less in Brussels or Strasbourg.
2. Can it be proven that the EU election campaign is only of secondary importance for the turquoise, red, blue, green and pink parties in Austria?
Yes. That is simple. All parties mentioned will spend x times less on campaign costs for the political competition in May and June than for the National Council election campaign at the end of the summer. This is one of the reasons why parliamentary elections in the EU are often referred to as second-order elections or secondary elections.
3. Will we citizens, as an electorate, at least approach the matter more constructively?
No. We are no better. In five of the seven EU elections to date, turnout in Austria was below 50 percent. More than every second person stayed at home. Only the very first elections in the 1990s and in 2019 saw a higher turnout, when the Ibiza video blew up the federal government. That had zero point zero to do with the EU.
4. So are the EU elections ‘for the cat and the fish’ in good Austrian terms?
No. Admittedly, the local representatives achieve little or nothing on their own. But every party across Europe will join forces with like-minded sister parties – political science speaks of party families organized into factions. The only catch is that parties and factions increasingly only agree on something. Positive majorities for political decisions are becoming increasingly difficult given polarization and ongoing disputes.
5. Do elections in 27 EU countries really worry us?
Yes. Absolute. Anyone who says the EU doesn’t affect them is either talking nonsense or dead. For example, anyone who works, shops, travels or makes phone calls is affected by EU regulations. From the freedom to choose a job to consumer protection and the abolition of mobile phone charges in other EU countries.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
