False start to the European elections

This time everything is better prepared than in 2014, the European election campaign can quick-start. This is what CSU Spitzenkandidat M. Weber said at the beginning of January. One month later, Weber’s election campaign is in the middle of nowhere, and the polls do not bode well either.

The SPD could reduce its share from 27 to 15 percent, “Bild” reported this weekend. The CDU would also have to give in – instead of 35 percent, it would only get 30 percent of the votes.

Now you don’t have to believe “Bild”, the polls are often politically colored. The parties can still mobilise until the elections at the end of May; an EU-wide campaign to take part in the vote is already underway.

But there’s not much to see of the election campaign either. [bctt tweet=”After his first appearances in Brussels and Cyprus, Weber has disappeared again, his new homepage does not even show a single campaign date.” username=”lostineu”]

The Social Democrat Timmermans, however, is already on tour, most recently in Italy. But in Brussels his message is hardly audible – here, he has to justify himself because he is still an active EU commissioner.

There isn’t much of the “green wave” yet to be seen in the EU capital either. According to top candidate S. Keller, it is still far too early for major election campaign appearances. People are still busy with Brexit.

In fact, the British withdrawal from the EU is overshadowing the European elections. If the Brexit is postponed, it could turn the election into a farce. Then voters wouldn’t even know which EU they’re voting for – the EU-27, or the “Union” with the UK?

But even if it stays with Brexit on 29 March, there is unlikely to be any campaign sentiment by then. And after that it could be thoroughly spoiled – at least when we get a “no deal”, with all the negative consequences.

But why don’t EU politicians just start campaigning with or against the Brexit now? Why don’t they lure, why don’t they threaten, why don’t they promise alternatives or compromises?

Probably because everyone is in agreement. The European Parliament has not even ratified the withdrawal treaty. But to reopen it is out of the question, even leftists and Greens are d’accord on this…

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator