En democracy, elections aim to choose those responsible but also to set priorities. In the case of the European elections, however, this first function is atrophied. Attempts to politicize this election, whether by the constitution of transnational lists or by the designation of the leader of the party that came first as president of the European Commission, have clearly failed. On the other hand, the selection of priorities remains, and this is one of the areas where the election of the European Parliament, scheduled for June 9 for the French, plays a decisive role.
The mechanism by which choices are made is subtle. Because voting methods differ from one country to another, the central bloc which controls the majority in Parliament is very stable. Everything suggests, once again, that after the June elections the de facto alliance between center-right, center and center-left, now dominant, will continue to control it. But that is not the most important thing: in 2019, the majority had not moved, but priorities changed because the message from voters was that climate action had to be accelerated. This was unambiguously indicated by the combination of an increase in the participation rate and notable progress by the green parties. The result was the Green Deal for the complete decarbonization of the European economy.
This time too, the election will certainly not lead to a clear change of majority. However, its results will most likely be marked by a shift to the right and will set the priorities for the next five years, including in economic areas. Subject-by-subject coalitions, common in the European Parliament, will not be carried out along the same lines. On the surface, nothing essential will have changed, but in reality the direction of European policies will undoubtedly be very different.
Thinking on a continental scale
The stakes of this election are therefore entirely real, and even essential. The first is the implementation of the Green Deal. European societies are today strained by the temptation to slow down. This is paradoxical, because the effort has only barely been made: the Institute of Climate Economics estimates that in 2022 mitigation investments will only reach half of the required annual amount. so that the Union of 27 respects its objectives (“ The European Union must double its climate investments », Thomas Pellerin-Carlin, I4CE, February 23). However, calls to postpone deadlines are increasing, while financial resources are lacking: the new budgetary framework does not make room for financing green investment through state debt, and European resources devoted to the climate will increase from more than 50 billion euros per year to less than 20 billion by 2027. Everything is happening as if the European Union (EU) had set itself objectives, but had refused itself the means to reach them.
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