Will voters really have the EU itself in mind when they cast their ballot at the European elections in June?
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00:00 Will voters have EU action in mind when they vote in the European elections?
00:08 In France, Jordan Bardella, leader of the National Rally, has styled the European elections
00:13 as midterms ahead of France's 2027 elections and has called for voters to sanction what
00:19 he calls Macron's Europe.
00:21 "In France, it's the only election before the next presidential election in 2027.
00:27 It's a national list scouting, so the temptation is strong to nationalize the scouting."
00:34 Back in 1980, two researchers dubbed EU elections as second-order national elections.
00:39 The reason is that EU elections are held at the national level, governed by national rules,
00:44 with national candidates facing off over national issues.
00:47 Even the voting method, the voting day and the voting age differ from one member state
00:51 to another.
00:52 "Voters are more likely to vote for national, economic and social reasons, such as the rise
00:59 in energy costs, inflation, than on European issues, such as European institutions, European
01:06 policies and even the war in Ukraine."
01:13 Various groups within society do consider European issues.
01:20 This trend is strongest amongst white-collar workers, graduates and the wealthy.
01:24 Crises such as the war in Ukraine have highlighted the actions taken by the EU, but will this
01:28 affect how people vote?
01:30 "The question for European institutions is to show that this European action exists,
01:35 but it is also effective.
01:37 And that is much harder in terms of public opinion."
01:43 This year, European issues could perhaps be overshadowed by national issues in the EU
01:48 elections, with the attention of many countries elsewhere.
01:52 Presidential elections have taken place or will take place in Finland, Slovakia, Lithuania
01:56 and Romania, while voters in Portugal, Austria, Belgium and Croatia have legislative elections.
02:04 European issues are also addressed in national elections, yet they are often so intertwined
02:09 with national issues that it is challenging to distinguish between them.
02:15 [SWOOSH]