The road to the 2024 European Parliament elections

The European Digital Services Act (DSA) lays down new rules for online platforms, seeks to strengthen user rights and intends to hold tech companies to account. But what specific measures does the DSA include and why is it under so much pressure from the new US government and big tech companies?

As part of an EU Democracy research project funded by the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung European Union office, Sophie Pornschlegel interviewed European Commission Vice-President for Values and Transparency, Věra Jourová, during the summer break of the European Commission. In their conversation, Vice-President Jourová reflected on five years of efforts to safeguard democracy, human rights and the rule of law in the EU, amid increasing threats against democracy and a shifting geopolitical context, not least due to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. 

2019 was an extraordinary election year for the European Green Party, and it was clear from the beginning of the 2024 campaign that it would be tough to match it again this year. While the Greens lost seats overall, most of the losses were concentrated in Germany and Western Europe, while the bloc was able to pick up new seats in the South and East.

Europe went to the polls over four days, from 6 to 9 June, to choose a new European Parliament (EP), the EU’s main legislative body of the 27-member bloc. The turnout was healthy – slightly less than the highest-ever participation in 2019 – but the results could well constitute a blow for the bloc’s climate protection efforts. There are 720 seats in total, of which 361 seats are needed for a majority.

The chances of a conservative majority after the European elections are slim, but the normalisation of radical-right forces is a wake-up call for progressives.

The upcoming European Parliament elections are set to be a critical test in the fight against disinformation. With new regulations and AI challenges, how will Europe ensure election integrity?

With the European Parliament elections taking place between on 6-9 June 2024, the European Union stands at a defining moment. The 2019-2024 term witnessed the breakthrough of long-stagnant gender initiatives, but challenges loom large in advancing gender equality in the EU. This article explores the prospects for the policy directions that will shape the gender equality agenda of the next European Parliament and Commission in this context.