From June 6 to 9, see you next time European elections 2024the population of the EU will be called to the polls to elect members of European Parliament, the only directly elected transnational assembly. An important event, because it entrusts to the will of citizens the power, through democratic voting, to influence the decisions of community life over the next five years and beyond.
The European Council summit concluded on March 21-22the body made up of leaders of the 27 member countries, which defines future priorities of the European Community. An important meeting, which takes place at the end of the legislature and serves as a programmatic statement regarding future goals. It is therefore useful, before entering into the middle of an electoral campaign, to understand what European citizens will vote for and how it worksin short, the European legislative apparatus.
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What will we vote for in the 2024 European elections?
Every day, you find information tools, articles and references concerning this or that European institution. Even though they are now part of everyday life, knowledge of these organs suffers from familiarity with which instead come similar terms such as “Senate” or “Chamber”. Due to the transnational or supranational nature of Europe it is not always obvious what the distinctions and roles of one or the other are organ.
The European Union is based on seven institutions. The aforementioned Parliament, Commission and European Council have decision-making power and act in coordination with each other: the Commission proposes laws, the Parliament approves them and, together with the European Council, adopts them. The other institutions are the European Central Bank, the Court of Justice, the Court of Auditors and finally the Council of the European Union. The latter brings together the ministers of the member countries and should not be confused with the European Council which brings together all the heads of government.
Italy, in the 2024 European elections, will vote for its representatives in the European Parliament for the next five years. The 704 deputies (plus the president elected by the assembly in office for two and a half years) are directly elected by universal suffrage by citizens according to the proportional method: the 76 seats allocated to Italy are calculated on the basis of the population, divided into 5 geographical constituencies, of which the elected representatives will be the representatives.
In addition to the power to discuss, approve or modify legislation proposed by the Commission, whose president is elected, the European Parliament it also has an important control functionthat is to say, it makes all other institutions responsible to it for their work.
The Europe of the future, the new challenges
The current legislature leaves some successes for the next elections but also new challenges, some of which are decisive. It was his responsibility to address the Covid-19 pandemic and plan for the resulting economic recovery. The summit concluded on March 22 placed the future foreign policy position at the center of the debate. two conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, domestic economic policy regarding issues ofagriculture and digital and climate transitionsthe measures taken in fight against illegal human trafficking.
Added to this is the success of good projects still in progress such as the implementation of the program New European generation expiring in 2026of which the Italian National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) is part, or the discussion on how to apply the Green Deal, the European pact to achieve climate neutrality by 2050, it depends on the next legislature. What is decided today will have effects not only in the next five years, but will also influence life in Europe in the future.
According to the Eurobarometer, the tool with which the EU probes the “guts” of its citizens, I61% of Europeans say they are optimistic about the future. To improve further, you need two things: to be aware of new challenges and above all to be well informed.
Source:
[1] European Parliament – 2024 European elections