The Centre for European and Eurasian Studies and Maynooth University Social Sciences Institute (MUSSI) will host a Roundtable Discussion on European Parliament Elections 2019. The Event will be held on Tuesday March 26th at 3pm and will include contributions from the following speakers:
- Francis Jacobs (former head, European Parliament Office, Dublin)
- Mary Whelan (former Irish Ambassador to Austria)
- Katherine Meenan (Chair, IIEA German Group)
- Daniel Keohane (European Movement Ireland)
- John O’Brennan (Maynooth University)
Amongst the issues and questions which the panellists will tackle are:
-the rise of the Euro-sceptic and nationalist far right in specific jurisdictions and whether or not the EU is part of that accelerating pattern of nationalist advance
-Has the rise of the far right reached its limits and is the European ‘Centre’ fighting back?
-the Franco-German relationship post-Brexit and Macron’s ‘vision’ of Europe
-the Giles Jaunes protests and whether there is a more general ‘anti-politics’ or ‘anti-establishment’ mood among electorates (including anti-EU impulses)
-Turnout: last time it was 43 per cent. Could it drop below 40 per cent this time? If so doesn’t that present a real problem for the legitimacy of the EU?
-How do we address the paradox that as the European Parliament’s power has increased with every new constitutional re-configuration, every successive new election since 1979 has seen reduced turnout? (62 per cent in 1979 down to 43 per cent in both 2009 and 2014)
-The European Parliament election in Ireland and what kind of seat breakdown they are likely to produce
All Welcome
