The European Parliament elections in June 2024 are pivotal for the EU’s future. Critical action is needed this decade to achieve the 55% greenhouse-gas reduction target by 2030 and secure global support for the +1.5C temperature limit set by the Paris Agreement.
Key issues include external affairs, enlargement amid the Ukraine war and Middle East turmoil, and social policies to counter right-wing anti-ecological backlash. A genuine industrial policy fit for a globalised world and a wellbeing-focused framework beyond GDP are essential.
Progressives must push for greater workplace democracy, social ownership, de-commodified welfare systems, work-life balance, inequality reduction, and socially mobile, integrated societies. Public investment in child development, youth skills, and adult health should pair with permanent mutual borrowing under the Recovery and Resilience Facility. Scaling up the EU budget with taxes on the wealthy, high emitters, and corporations is crucial for climate finance and rebuilding ties with the global south.
With Polish populists out of power, Viktor Orbán’s veto tactics remain a challenge. Enlargement to over 30 member states makes treaty reform and federalisation inevitable. The EU must heed the citizen-led Conference on the Future of Europe to build global credibility.
A progressive majority in the next parliament is vital, with the Spitzenkandidat principle ensuring a Commission president aligned with this vision. However, signs of a potential far-right coalition, accommodating xenophobia towards asylum-seekers, highlight the stakes.
These elections, often seen as ‘second-order,’ will shape Europe’s future. A unified progressive agenda on climate, biodiversity, and global peace is crucial. Liberals, greens, leftists, and social democrats must form a cohesive bloc.
To support this, Social Europe is publishing a series of agenda-setting articles, culminating in a progressive manifesto to rally widespread support.
