Last projection: The pro-EU coalition, the ‘right’ bloc and EPP’s flexibility

Good morning from Brussels,

Just a few days before the much-awaited EU elections, Euractiv analyses the last projections provided by our partner Europe Elects.

Main conclusions:

Our politics reporter, Max Griera, has all the details.

Meanwhile, in Rome, Alessia Peretti analyses Italy’s political landscape before the EU vote.

Courted by both EPP’s candidate Ursula von der Leyen and far-right Marine Le Pen (ID), Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni (ECR) vies to be the right’s kingmaker.

It’s still uncertain what she will ultimately do, but she is clearly eyeing a new majority in the next EU Parliament, breaking the traditional EPP-S&D alliance.

The EU centre-right, though, has a different view. An EPP source commented to Euractiv:

“Almost all fellow EU leaders like her; she's smart, and she will aim to build up this support, not blow it up by partnering with Le Pen”.

Consensus among European Central Bank watchers is often hard to find – but Thursday’s widely anticipated interest rate cut provides an exception. What will – and should – happen after that, however, is still a matter of contention, writes Thomas Moller-Nielsen.

Thomas also reported that leading French and Italian business organisations stepped up pressure on incoming EU policymakers on Tuesday to make crucial decisions to boost the bloc’s faltering competitiveness by cutting regulations and ramping up investment.

On the tech front, Eliza Gkritsi reports that some EU countries are considering starting a focus group on human rights and tech standards under the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) umbrella.

Last but not least, SPD MEP Tiemo Wölken, who seeks a third mandate, told Luisa Antunes that his priority remains fair access to medicines and transparent pricing.

ROME

As right-wing parties surge in the polls ahead of the EU elections, Italian Prime Minister and ECR leader Giorgia Meloni appears to be on her way to claiming the role of kingmaker in the next EU Parliament with her party’s “Italy changes Europe” slogan, but internal party rifts may cause issues. Read more.

BERLIN

Brussels gives conditional approval for €1.7bn German coal exit subsidy. The German government announced on Tuesday that it has received approval in principle from Brussels to allocate subsidies worth €1.75 billion to coal major LEAG but with the payout of one-third of the sum contingent upon future power and CO2 prices. Read more.

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BRUSSELS

Radical farmers rally in Brussels calling for overhaul of EU green agenda. Over a thousand farmers from at least nine European Union countries gathered on the outskirts of Brussels, on Tuesday, protesting against European environmental rules and trade agreements, just days before voters head to the polls. Read more.

STOCKHOLM

Swedish ruling parties divided over potential cooperation with ID group. Members of Sweden’s right-wing coalition are split over whether to cooperate with the far-right ID group after the European elections, as some have indicated serious interest in doing so, while Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson of the centre-right Moderate Party (EPP) dismissed such a move on Tuesday. Read more.

Sweden wants to let police use facial recognition technology. Sweden’s government said Monday that it wanted to give law enforcement the ability to use real-time facial recognition technology from cameras in public places, for example to identify people suspected of certain crimes. Read more.

LONDON

UK leaders clash in TV debate as Farage enters election fray. The leaders of Britain’s two main political parties faced off in the first live TV debate of the general election campaign on Tuesday, a month before voters go to the polls and with predictions of a record win for the main opposition Labour party. Read more.

MADRID

Sánchez’s wife to appear in court on alleged corruption charges. A Spanish judge on Tuesday summoned the wife of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez (PSOE/S&D), Begoña Gómez, to appear in court on 5 July as a ‘person under investigation’ for alleged corruption and influence peddling in the private sector, following an earlier complaint by a controversial civil servants’ union linked to the far right. Read more.

WARSAW

Poland’s co-governing Left Party (S&D) would find it hard to support a second term for European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen if she decides to cooperate with conservatives in the hard-right ECR group, Left MEP Robert Biedroń told Euractiv Poland, adding that the Prime Minister Donald Tusk should also rule out such cooperation. Read more.
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PRAGUE

Czech ANO party withdraws anti-migrant EU election ad. Czech populist party ANO (Renew) withdrew an election ad showing a boat full of migrants with a sign reading “Vote before it is too late”, saying it could frighten some citizens. Read more.

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BRATISLAVA

Slovak government clashes over parliamentary speaker pick. Following Peter Pellegrini’s victory in the presidential elections, his resignation from the post of parliamentary speaker has put his former party, Hlas, in a difficult position, as both its coalition partners – Prime Minister Robert Fico’s Smer and the Slovak National Party (SNS) – prefer to give the post to the SNS, despite the coalition agreement. Read more.

SOFIA

Strasbourg court rules against Bulgaria in judicial bias case. The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in Strasbourg has found Bulgaria guilty of violating the right to freedom of expression of investigative journalist Rossen Bossev, who exposed a judge’s bias. Read more.

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BUCHAREST

Romania uncovers migrant trafficking ring using Schengen access. Romanian authorities carried out searches in several counties on Tuesday after identifying a new method of migrant trafficking that involves migrants entering Schengen countries via Romania, despite migrant trafficking being the main reason why Austria blocked Romania’s access to Schengen last year. Read more.

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[Edited by Sarantis Michalopoulos, Daniel Eck, Liene Lūsīte, Alice Taylor]