On Europe 1: “Europe is not France in a bigger way”

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While there are only a few days left to register on the electoral rolls, only 42% of citizens surveyed by a Paris Match poll indicate that they will vote at the 2019 European elections. Why are these elections low voter turnout? What will be the consequences of multiple lists? What are the issues at stake in this election? Yves Bertoncini, President of the European Movement – France, answered these questions alongside Frédéric Dabi, Ifop’s Deputy General Manager for Europe 1.

Although Yves Bertoncini regrets this lack of participation, he nevertheless points out that it could be reduced in view of the stakes of this election: “today we are in an unstable geopolitical context, there are challenges, particularly climatic, to which we must respond at European level”.

He explained the lack of participation by the lack of competence of the European Union and stressed that it can be compared to the federal elections in Switzerland or the United States. A lack of participation that does not, however, affect the legitimacy of the election: “the fact that the participation rate is a little low does not make the election illegitimate or uninteresting”.  For the President of the European Movement “even if there is a lack of competence of the European Union, there are extremely significant interventions that justify more citizen involvement”. He refers as an example to the directive on single-use plastics, on electric fishing or the regulation on the protection of personal data.

The European elections in France, a reproduction of the presidential match?

Yves Bertoncini recalled that the European elections in France are perceived as intermediate elections and could therefore replay the presidential match. This is atypical, for the President of the European Movement, who points out that this opposition does not exist in other European states: “In other European states, it is not a match between nationalists and liberal democrats”. Moreover, he points out that at European level, this opposition is not appropriate: “It is the two traditional parties: the EPP and the S&D which will probably come out on top”.

In view of the multiplicity of lists in France, these results could serve France since, as Yves Bertoncini points out, “to be influential, you have to send many MPs to these two major groups“. Nevertheless, he pointed out that the centrist group should progress with the LREM elected representatives, which should not be the case with the RN: “there will be no nationalist push in our country”.

“Europe is not France in a bigger way”

Yves Bertoncini explains that Europe is made up of compromises, which also applies to the European elections: “We must determine the balance of power between all the parties that will eventually form a grand coalition”. A very proportional system but which lacks clarity and attractiveness.  Yves Bertoncini stressed that, because of this voting system, there should not be any decisive changes in the European Parliament: “In Europe, we can make the liner move a little, but these are not tack changes like on a sailboat, which is frustrating”.

While the multiplicity of lists offers the French a very wide range of choices, Yves Bertoncini nevertheless reminds us that powerful groups must be integrated to weigh in: “we must group as many elected representatives as possible into the groups that decide: EPP, S&D, ALDE, Les Verts, otherwise our elected representatives will have less influence on the compromises made at European level”. Indeed, Europe is made up of compromises, and if France holds a privileged place in it, it does not decide everything, which the President of the European Movement – France underlines: “Europe is not France in greater measure”.

Why so many novices on the French lists to European elections?

The President of the European Movement – France explains that “until now, Melenchon and Le Pen were unable to get elected to the national parliament so they were elected to the European Parliament to play French politics”. But as they now have access to the seats of the National Assembly, they are sending new people to the European Parliament, who have less experience and notoriety.

Faced with the risk of failure, Yves Bertoncini points out that some candidates prefer not to run: “the SP has even given up its own head of the list, the socialists have abandoned half of the positions to civil society actors”. A decision that Yves Bertoncini regrets: “The PS, which is nevertheless the party of François Mitterrand, of Jacques Delors, does not present a list under its own colours, which indicates a weakening”.