Political campaign ahead of 2019 European Parliament elections

Author (Corporate)	Cardiff EDC (Compiler)
Publication Date	April-May 2019
Content Type	News
	Summary: Reports, analyses and information on the political campaigns undertaken across the European Union, ahead of the European Parliament elections held on 23-26 May 2019. Further information: Political leaders across Europe prepare for 2019 European Parliament elections [coverage of pre-electoral campaign period] One month ahead of the European Parliament elections, political campaigning across the European Union intensified. The European People's Party (EPP) lead candidate Manfred Weber launched his campaign on 25 April in Athens. A group of far-right leaders met in Prague on the same day to follow up on an initiative to bring together like-minded political forces in the European Parliament's post-election configuration. The first debate between the lead candidates (or Spitzenkandidaten) for each Europarty was held on 29 April, despite the absence of EPP's Manfred Weber. A further debate was held on 2 May with the four main lead candidates for the presidency of the European Commission. In the meantime, Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orbán (EPP) gave an interview to an Italian newspaper in which he praised the country's deputy Prime Minister and far-right leader, Matteo Salvini. Both suggested their respective Europarties should cooperate following the European election. On 6 May, media sources reported that Mr Orbán no longer supported Manfred Weber in his bid to become the next President of the European Commission. On 15 May, the six lead candidates of the main political parties for the position of the President of the European Commission met for a head-to-head debate on a range of issues. Nationalist parties from across Europe held a rally on 18 May. The event was headlined by Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini and Marine Le Pen of France's National Rally (NR), who aimed to bring together Europe's disparate far-right into a cohesive movement. For the election, the two populists were eager for their Europe of Nations and Freedom (ENF) group to become the third largest party in Brussels, after far-right parties had spilt into three blocs following the 2014 European Parliament elections. For country-based information [progressively expanded]: 2019 European Parliament election in Austria 2019 European Parliament election in Belgium 2019 European Parliament election in Bulgaria 2019 European Parliament election in Croatia 2019 European Parliament election in Cyprus 2019 European Parliament election in the Czech Republic 2019 European Parliament election in Denmark 2019 European Parliament election in Estonia 2019 European Parliament election in Finland 2019 European Parliament election in France 2019 European Parliament election in Germany 2019 European Parliament election in Greece 2019 European Parliament election in Hungary 2019 European Parliament election in Ireland 2019 European Parliament election in Italy 2019 European Parliament election in Latvia 2019 European Parliament election in Lithuania 2019 European Parliament election in Luxembourg 2019 European Parliament election in Malta 2019 European Parliament election in the Netherlands 2019 European Parliament election in Poland 2019 European Parliament election in Portugal 2019 European Parliament election in Romania 2019 European Parliament election in Slovakia 2019 European Parliament election in Slovenia 2019 European Parliament election in Spain 2019 European Parliament election in Sweden 2019 European Parliament election in the United Kingdom
Related Links	News France24, 25/04/2019: Far-right party leaders meet in Prague ahead of EU vote https://www.france24.com/en/20190425-far-right-party-leaders-meet-prague-ahead-eu-vote EurActiv, 26/04/2019: Greek centre-right party accused of ‘censoring’ EPP’s Weber https://www.euractiv.com/section/enlargement/news/greek-centre-right-party-accused-of-censoring-epps-weber/ EurActiv, 26/04/2019: Europe’s far-right touts ‘new European harmony’ in EU vote https://www.euractiv.com/section/eu-elections-2019/news/europes-far-right-touts-new-european-harmony-in-eu-vote/ Politico, 29/04/2019: Timmermans and Verhofstadt spar in election debate https://www.politico.eu/article/timmermans-and-verhofstadt-spar-in-european-election-2019-debate/ EurActiv, 29/04/2019: First Spitzenkandidaten debate falls flat https://www.euractiv.com/section/eu-elections-2019/news/first-spitzenkandidaten-debate-falls-flat/ EUObserver, 30/042019: Spitzenkandidaten debate in Maastricht minus Weber https://euobserver.com/eu-election/144762 Politico, 02/05/2019: Orbán, Salvini flirt with alliance after EU election https://www.politico.eu/article/orban-salvini-flirt-with-alliance-after-eu-election/ EurActiv, 02/05/2019: Orban says Salvini is the most important politician in Europe https://www.euractiv.com/section/all/news/orban-says-salvini-is-the-most-important-politician-in-europe/ La Stampa, 02/05/2019: Viktor Orbán: 'Money, safety, market. 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https://euobserver.com/opinion/144913 BBC News, 21/05/2019: European elections 2019: A moment of truth for nationalists https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-48264638 Commentary and Analysis Politico, 24/04/2019: Manfred Weber’s big fat Greek challenge https://www.politico.eu/article/manfred-weber-big-fat-greek-problem-spitzenkandidate-epp-european-commission/ Bloomberg, 25/04/2019: Manfred Weber's Campaign to Lead European Commission [Video Interview] https://www.bloomberg.com/news/videos/2019-04-25/manfred-weber-s-campaign-to-lead-european-commission-video The Economist, 27/04/2019: Why the European Parliament elections will be the most European yet https://www.economist.com/europe/2019/04/27/why-the-european-parliament-elections-will-be-the-most-european-yet Euro\|topics, April 2019: EU elections: what do the politicians have to offer https://www.eurotopics.net/en/217690/ Bruegel: Road to Europe: The Spitzenkandidaten series http://bruegel.org/europe2019/ Politico, 03/05/2019: Commission candidates target dangerous enemy: National capitals https://www.politico.eu/article/eu-commission-candidates-target-national-capitals-council/ Politico, 03/05/2019: Frenzy in Firenze: 4 takeaways from EU lead candidate debate https://www.politico.eu/article/frenzy-in-firenze-4-takeaways-from-eu-lead-candidate-debate/ Euro\|topics, May 2019: Orbán and Salvini: closed ranks on border fence https://www.eurotopics.net/en/219295/ Euro\|topics, May 2019: Is Orbán out to sever all ties with the EPP? https://www.eurotopics.net/en/219542/ Politico, 07/05/2019: Michel Barnier steps out of the shadows https://www.politico.eu/article/michel-barnier-steps-out-of-the-shadows/ BBC News, 13/05/2019: European elections: Love and hate in EU after economic rescues https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-48229537 Euro\|Topics, 15/05/2019: EU Commission presidency: Weber's chances waning? https://www.eurotopics.net/en/219962/eu-commission-presidency-weber-s-chances-waning Euro\|Topics, 15/05/2019: What unites and what divides the Europeans? https://www.eurotopics.net/en/219870/what-unites-and-what-divides-the-europeans Euractiv, 21/05/2019: EU elections 2019: Where do parties stand on migration? https://www.euractiv.com/section/global-europe/news/eu-elections-2019-where-do-parties-stand-on-migration/ Euro\|Topics, 20/05/2019: Right-wing populists meet in Milan https://www.eurotopics.net/en/220216/right-wing-populists-meet-in-milan
Subject Categories	Politics and International Relations
Subject Tags	European Parliament Elections
Keywords	2019 EP election
International Organisations	European Union [EU]