European elections 2024

The 2024 European elections were held in the 27 member states of the European Union between June 6 and June 9, as unanimously agreed by the Council of the European Union. This poll marked the tenth round of elections for the European Parliament, representing the first since the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union.

The 2024 European elections have led to significant changes in the political landscape of the European Union. With significant shifts among different political forces, each country helped redefine the composition of the European Parliament. Below is a summary of the results on a country-by-country basis, highlighting the main winners, losers, and breakdown of seats.

European People’s Party Maintains Leadership

The 2024 European elections saw a diverse political landscape, with significant changes and surprises in several countries. The European People’s Party (EPP) confirmed its leadership, while the sovereignist and euroskeptic front gained ground in many member states.

The Growing Right

In France, Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardella’s Rassemblement National achieved great success, forcing President Emmanuel Macron to call early elections. In Germany, the Alternativ für Deutschland (AfD) took second place, overtaking Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Socialist Party. In Austria, the far-right Freedom Party (Fpö) emerged as the leading political force. This shift to the right has expanded the presence of the more conservative bangs in the European Parliament.

Center-right success in many countries

The success of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) in Germany and the center-right in many of the 27 member countries has given the EPP the task of forming the majority that will lead the European Union. Manfred Weber, leader of the EPP group, has already called on the Socialists and Democrats and the Liberals to replicate the Ursula majority, which brought Ursula von der Leyen to the presidency of the European Commission in 2019. With 405 total seats, this coalition would far exceed the 361 needed for a majority.

Giorgia Meloni and the Euroskeptic Front.

In Italy, Giorgia Meloni, with Fratelli d’Italia, consolidated her leadership in the European Conservatives and Reformists group, thanks to electoral success that saw her party become the third largest by votes. Despite the EPP’s attempts to marginalize euroskeptic groups, the influence of Meloni and the sovereignists of Identity and Democracy, supported by Rassemblement National, remains significant.

Losses for the Greens and Progress for the Green Deal

The Greens lost 19 seats at the European level, a contradiction to the urgency of addressing the climate crisis. However, the Netherlands, thanks to Frans Timmermans, promoter of the Green Deal, and Italy, with the Green and Left Alliance and the candidacy of activist Ilaria Salis, held in Hungary, showed signs of progress in an opposite direction.

Overview by country

Austria

First party: Fpö (27 percent)

Seat breakdown: Identity and Democracy 5, EPP 5, Renew 2, Greens 2, Socialists and Democrats 5.

Belgium

First party: Vlaams Belang (13%)

Seat breakdown: Socialists 4, Populars 4, Liberals 4, Conservatives and Sovereignists 3, Greens 2, Left 2.

Bulgaria

First party: Gerb-Sds (26%)Seat breakdown: EPP 6, Liberals 5, Socialists and Democrats 2, Unaffiliated 4.

Czechia

First party: Ano 2011 (26.14%)

Seat breakdown: Liberals 7, Populars 5, Conservatives 3, Greens 1, Left 1, Identity 1, Unaffiliated 3.

Cyprus

First party: Democratic Rally

Seat breakdown: EPP 2, Socialists and Democrats 1, Left 1, Unaffiliated 2.

Croatia

First party: Croatian Union and Democrats (33%)

Seat breakdown: EPP 6, Democrats 4, Greens 1, Unaffiliated 1.

Denmark

First party: Socialistisk Folkeparti (18.4%)

Seat breakdown: Liberals 4, Greens 3, Democrats 3, EPP 2, Left 1, Identity and Democracy 1, Unaffiliated 1.

Estonia

First party: Isamaa (21%)Seat breakdown: EPP 2, Liberals 2, Democrats 2, Identity 1.

Finland

First party: National Coalition (24.8%)

Seat breakdown: EPP 4, Left 3, Liberals 3, Socialists 2, Greens 2, Conservatives 1.

France

First party: Rassemblement National (31.5%)

Seat breakdown: Identity and Democracy 30, Liberals 13, Socialists 13, Left 9, EPP 6, Greens 5, Conservatives 5.

Germany

First party: CDU (30.2%)

Seat breakdown: EPP 30, AfD 19, Greens 16, Socialists and Democrats 14, Left 4, Renew 8, Unaffiliated 5.

Greece

First party: Nea Dimokratia (27.96%)

Seat breakdown: EPP 7, Socialists and Democrats 3, Left 4, Conservatives and Reformists 2, Unaffiliated 5.

Ireland

First party: Fine Gael (20,79%)

Italy

First party: Fratelli d’Italia – FdI (28.81%)

Seat breakdown: European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) 24, Progressive Alliance Socialists and Democrats (S&D) 21, European People’s Party (EPP) 9, Identity and Democracy (ID) 8, Unaffiliated 8, Greens (Verts/ALE) 3, Other 3

Latvia

First party: New Unity (25 percent)

Seat breakdown: EPP 2, Conservatives 2, Unaffiliated 2, Greens 1, Socialists 1, Liberals 1.

Lithuania

First party: Christian Democrats

Seat breakdown: EPP 9, Liberals 2, Socialists 2, Greens 2, Conservatives 1, Unaffiliated 1.

Luxembourg

First party: Popular and Christian Democrats (22.91%)

Seat breakdown: EPP 2, Greens 1, Socialists 1, Liberals 1, Democrats 1.

Malta

First party: Labour (45%)

Seat breakdown: Socialists 3, EPP 3.

Netherlands

First party: Green-Socialist coalition (Frans Timmermans)

Seat breakdown: Identity and Democracy 7, EPP 6, Conservatives 1, Renew 7, Greens 4, Socialists and Democrats 4, Left 1, Unaffiliated 1.

Poland

First party: Civic Coalition (38.2%)

Seat breakdown: EPP 21, Conservatives (PiS) 19, Socialists 3, Liberals 2, Unaffiliated 8.

Portugal

First party: Socialists (32.33%)

Seat breakdown: Socialists 8, EPP 8, Identity 2, Liberals 2, Left 1.

Romania

First party: Center Left

Seat breakdown: Socialists 13, EPP 11, Liberals 2, Conservatives 1, Unaffiliated 6.

Slovakia

First party: Progressives (27.8%)

Seat breakdown: Liberals 6, EPP 1, Unaffiliated 8.

Slovenia

First party: Slovenska demokratska stranka (30.64%)

Seat breakdown: EPP 6, Liberals 2, Greens 1.

Spain

First party: People’s Party (34.18%)

Seat breakdown: EPP 22, Socialists 20, Conservatives 6, Greens 4, Left 3, Liberals 1, Unaffiliated 5.

Sweden

First party: Socialdemokraterna

Seat breakdown: Socialists 5, EPP 5, Conservatives 3, Liberals 3, Greens 3, Left 2.

Hungary

First party: Fidesz (43.76%)

Seat breakdown: Unaffiliated 11, EPP 8, Socialists 2.

 

Analysis and Future Prospects

With the results now firmly in place, the distribution of seats in the European Parliament is outlined and the numbers are beginning to be tallied as to who will be able to play the needle of the scales in the formation of the future European Commission. The dynamics of alliances and contrasts among the various political groups will determine the future shape of the European Union, in a context increasingly polarized between integration projects and sovereignist drives.