"Krone" analysis

The five mistakes of the EU election campaign

(Bild: APA/Georg Hochmuth)

Because we elect our representatives in the European Parliament on June 9, the decisive phase begins today. Unfortunately, parties and politicians often trick, disguise and deceive.

1. are the parties concerned about EU-rope? 
Yes and no. Unfortunately, the European ballot in this country will have to serve as a dress rehearsal for the National Council election campaign. Austria represents just three percent of all MEPs in the European Parliament. Every single party from our Alpine republic has between 0.1 and less than one percent of all parliamentarians. For the ÖVP, SPÖ, FPÖ and so on, it makes no difference in terms of power politics whether they have one more or one less of their people in Brussels and 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 quite simple. In May and June, all the parties mentioned will spend x times less on election campaign costs for the political competition than for the late summer National Council election campaign. This is another reason why the EU parliamentary elections are often referred to as second-order elections or by-elections.

It makes a difference whether they go or not.

Bundespräsident Alexander Van der Bellen am Europatag in einer TV-Ansprache zum europäischen Urnengang

Bild: APA/Eva Manhart

3. are at least we citizens, the electorate, taking a more constructive approach?
No. We are no better. In five of the seven EU elections so far, the Austrian voter turnout has been below 50 percent. More than one in two people stayed at home. The only time there was a higher turnout was in the very first election in the 1990s and in 2019, when the Ibiza video blew up the federal government. Which had zero to do with the EU.

4 So is the EU election "for the cat and the fish" in Austrian parlance?
No. Admittedly, the domestic MEPs alone achieve little or nothing. But every party across Europe will join forces with similarly minded sister parties - political scientists speak of party families organized in parliamentary groups. The only catch is that parties and political groups are increasingly only united against something. Positive majorities for political decisions are becoming more difficult in the face of polarization and constant disputes.

5. is an election in 27 EU countries any of our business? 
Yes, absolutely. Anyone who says that the EU doesn't affect them is talking nonsense or is dead. For example, EU regulations affect everyone who works, shops, travels or makes phone calls. From the freedom to choose your workplace to consumer protection and the abolition of cell phone charges in other EU countries.