Source: BMI first worth pointing out that turnout in European Parliamentary elections is typically a lot lower than is the case for national elections, which can disguise the political mood. Voters that are strongly pro-Europe or eurosceptic may be more likely to come out and vote, while those that are more apathetic towards Europe could be less likely to turn out, even if they oppose policies intrinsically linked to the European Union such the free movement of labour (which has become a dominant issue for voters across Europe). ...Source: BMI first worth pointing out that turnout in European Parliamentary elections is typically a lot lower than is the case for national elections, which can disguise the political mood. Voters that are strongly pro-Europe or eurosceptic may be more likely to come out and vote, while those that are more apathetic towards Europe could be less likely to turn out, even if they oppose policies intrinsically linked to the European Union such the free movement of labour (which has become a dominant issue for voters across Europe). Turnout in the Netherlands for the European Elections was under -- , compared with -- for the last domestic parliamentary election in ----. ...While this will not mean a wholesale rejection of the European Pro- ject, it could further frustrate efforts at structural reform at the national and federal levels. Moreover, for the VVD and PvdA, economic stagnation and rising populism would pose a threat in the ---- parliamentary election, which could again motivate a lurch towards a slightly more eurosceptic position to ward off the threat posed by the PVV. - Business Monitor International Ltd www political outlook pVV underperforms expectations
...The Netherland s most high-profile eurosceptic party (Freedom Party, PVV) did not perform as well as expected at the European Parliamen- tary elections in May, with two pro-Europe parties instead coming out in first and second place. However, given the low turnout in general, and for the PVV in particular, we warn against reading too much into the outcome. ...The PVV suffered a drop in vote share (to --.- from --.- in the ---- European Parliament election) and failed to pick up more than the four seats that it won at the previous election. Meanwhile, the Christian Democratic Appeal party came out top in the election and held on to its five seats, while Democrats -- saw an improvement on the ---- election and picked up an additional seat taking the total to -. That the PVV lost out to two pro-Europe parties marks a significant blow for the party s leader Geert Wilders who was hoping to exploit anti-EU sentiment, and dissatisfaction with the Dutch govern- ment, to secure a stronger footing in the European Parliament and unite with other eurosceptic parties. Despite the success of pro-Europe Dutch parties, euroscepti- cism is by no means on the way out, and instead will continue to frame the political debate both at home and in Brussels. ...Despite the success of pro-Europe Dutch parties, euroscepti- cism is by no means on the way out, and instead will continue to frame the political debate both at home and in Brussels.
...
