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The European Elections: Outcomes and Prospects for the Future

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The European Elections: Outcomes and Prospects for the Future No. 359 SEPTEMBER Bulletin 2009 RUNNYMEDE’S QUARTERLY The European Elections: Outcomes and Prospects for the Future Georgina Siklossy of the European Network Against Racism (ENAR) analyses the results of the June 2009 European In this issue: Elections, and identifies some worrying trends. • Georgina Siklossy of the European the European elections took largest group in the European Network Against Racism (ENAR) place from 4 to 7 June 2009 Parliament, despite the decision analyses the results of the June 2009 across the European Union. by the 29 British Conservatives EU citizens were called to vote to leave the group to form European Elections, and identifies some for the 736 members who will a separate anti-EU political worrying trends 1 represent them in the European group, the so-called European Parliament until 2014. The results Conservatives and Reformists • Welcome to Brussels? Four MEPs - ended in a clear victory for the Group, together with the Polish Baroness Sarah Ludford, Sajjad Karim, centre-right with the Socialists Justice and Law party and Jean Lambert and Claude Moraes - losing ground. The centre-right others. The centre-right was comment on the recent election of European People’s Party (EPP) particularly successful in the two British National Party MEPs to the won 264 seats, against 184 largest EU countries: Germany, European Parliament 5 seats for the Party of European united Kingdom, France, Italy, Socialists (PES), renamed the Spain and Poland. Progressive Alliance of Socialists On the other hand, the • Rob Berkeley and Rosie Ellis ask and Democrats in Europe (S&d) Socialists lost ground both what difference BME parliamentarians and incorporating 21 Italian where they are in government make 8 members from the Democratic (except Slovakia) and where Party. In the outgoing European they are in the opposition • Robbie McVeigh reports on the Parliament the EPP had 288 (except Greece). They also disturbing recent events in Belfast, MEPs whilst the Socialists had lost in the countries where where violence forces Roma out. 217. The Alliance of Liberals and they form a coalition with Belfast is back across world headlines democrats for Europe obtained the Christian Democrats, i.e. for all the wrong reasons 10 84 seats, down from 103 in the in Germany, Austria and the previous Parliament, whilst the Netherlands - while their European Greens won 55 seats, coalition partners did much • Jessica Mai Sims, who wrote the up from 42 last time around. better. The reasons for this Runnymede Community Study Soldiers, defeat vary from country to Migrants and Citizens - The Nepalese Centre right majority country and include internal In Britain, provides an update to the vs. Socialist defeat and a political divisions, the lack of Gurkha Justice Campaign 13 fragmented Parliament an identifiable policy response Results suggest that the centre- to the current economic crisis, Full contents on p. 28 right European People’s Party the erosion of traditional will retain its position as the constituencies and the absence ISSN: 1476-363X RuNNyMEdE’S QuARtERLy BuLLEtIN SEPtEMBER 2009 1 of leading figures.1 Italy, the Netherlands, Slovakia, none in the previous Parliament. this means that the EPP will Romania and the UK. Nevertheless there have continue to play a pivotal role In the Netherlands, the been declines in some member in the European Parliament, as anti-immigration and anti-Islam states, such as Belgium, France no coalition would be possible Freedom Party of Geert Wilders and Poland. In France, the without it in order to achieve (PVV) became the second National Front lost four seats EUROPEAN consensus on legislation and political force and won four seats and is now down to three MEPs ELECTIONS other decisions. for the European Parliament, and and in Belgium the separatist In addition, the new European in Austria, the Freedom Party Vlaams Belang lost one seat and Parliament will be much more (FPÖ) also made important gains, now only has two seats in the 1 European Policy Centre, Post- fragmented than previously, with scoring 12.7%, winning 2 seats, European Parliament. In Poland, election analysis: an important amount of smaller with the other far-right party, the League of Polish Families, Between apathy parties making the threshold, BZÖ, scoring 4.5%. which had a significant number of and anger - but no including populist, anti-EU and Hungary’s far-right Jobbik MEPs in the previous Parliament, earthquake, 9 June 2009, available at anti-immigration parties. Even party, elected on an anti-Roma, has not won one single seat. www.epc.eu/en/pb though it is clear that the anti-Eu nationalist platform which has the progress made by the far- .asp?tyP=tEWN& camp is stronger, it still remains founded a paramilitary-style right is an extremely concerning LV=187&see=y&t to be seen what impact it will organization, the Hungarian indicator of the current state of =32&PG=tEWN/ EN/detailpub&l have on the functioning of the Guard, won three seats (14.7% racism in Europe, exacerbated =12&AI=982. Parliament. In any event this of the vote). by the current economic crisis result is a worrying signal for Italy’s anti-immigration and the increasing insecurity that 2 See ENAR’s European democracy and the Northern League has more than people feel about their future. press release: ‘ENAR concerned process of Eu integration more doubled its representation, from ENAR’s 2007 shadow report on about rise of the generally. four to nine MEPs. The situation racism in Europe showed a rise far right in the in Italy is distinct in that two in extremism and racist violence EP’, 8 June 2009, Rise of the far-right other hard-right parties, the and an increase in political parties available at www. enar-eu.org/ Another, much more disquieting, Alleanza Nationale of Gianfranco expressing racist sentiments, not Page_Generale. result of the European elections Fini and the Social Alternative only on the margins of politics asp?docId=1529 is the substantial support won of Alessandra Mussolini, have but increasingly within the 6&langue=EN. by the far-right in many member now been incorporated into mainstream. These findings have states, and about which the Berlusconi’s People of Freedom been confirmed by the results of European Network Against Party, which is a member of the the European elections. Racism (ENAR) has expressed EPP group. Indeed, a new hard-right strong concerns.2 Far-right parties the British National Party also Eurosceptic group, the Europe have gained seats in Austria, made a significant breakthrough, of Freedom and Democracy denmark, Greece, Hungary, winning two seats, compared to (EFd) group, has been formed An economic recession has impact beyond the purely economic. There appears to be some correlation between economic hard times and the electoral success and public prominence of far right parties. The street brawls that have accompanied the efforts to agitate by the English Defence League are reminiscent of the 1930s and 1970s – periods in race relations to which we hope to never return. In this Bulletin we report on the electoral success of far right parties across Europe and hear from MEPs across the mainstream political spectrum about their response to the arrival of Nick Griffin in Brussels/Strasbourg. Robbie McVeigh reports from Belfast about the Roma who were effectively expelled from the city by racist thugs. Part of the BNP’s success was due to the exposure of the failings of our mainstream politicians. Nonetheless, parliament remains a crucial institution for leadership of social change. We look at the ethnic representation gap and try to assess what difference it makes to have greater Black and Asian participation at the highest political levels. In this Bulletin, we also consider the routes to migrant integration by reflecting on the community studies series and returning to update readers on the campaign for Gurkha citizenship rights. Our work on financial inclusion continues with the publication of an online report and the announcement of a major conference which will be the focus of the next Bulletin. Helen Mills reports on research which considers the range of voluntary sector approaches to working with young black people. Recent funding and advances in publication and communication technology have allowed us to make some significant improvements to the Bulletin. From the start of 2010, the Bulletin will be supported by Runnymede Online – enabling us to reach wider audiences while maintaining the Bulletin as a resource that builds on its 40 years of charting race relations in the UK and beyond. This will mean some changes to the format and to subscriptions. We aim to make the Bulletin an even more insightful read and more effective platform for ideas and analysis on race equality. We hope you’ll like the changes. Rob Berkeley Director, Runnymede Trust 2 RuNNyMEdE’S QuARtERLy BuLLEtIN SEPtEMBER 2009 between the far-right ‘classic’ Figure 1. Results of the European elections by political group (in and the far-right ‘lite’, as British %) MEP Glyn Ford puts it, they may not be willing to club together on a common programme. In addition, personal rivalries and competing nationalist narratives add to the complications.4 A EUROPEAN far-right group had already ELECTIONS been established in the previous European Parliament, in 2007, when far-right and 3 Under EP nationalist parties managed to rules, there need to be at least establish their own political 25 MEPs from group. This group - named seven different Identity, Tradition, Sovereignty member states for (ItS) - was anti-immigration, a political group to be formed. anti-Eu Constitution and anti- See: www. turkish membership of the Eu. elections2009- Source: TNS opinion in cooperation with the European Parliament [www.elections2009-results.eu/] results.eu/en/new_ Key: EPP: Group of the European People’s Party (Christian Democrats); S&D: Group of the Progressive Alliance of Members of ISt included Front Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament; ALDE: Group of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for National (France), Vlaams Belang parliament_en.html.
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