Stéphane Séjourné warns of the risk of an "ungovernable" Europe

Europe 1 with AFP 12:54 p.m., January 09, 2024

The risk of an "ungovernable" Europe due to a rise in the power of populist parties in the European elections in June is "real", warned Stéphane Séjourné, leader of the centrist Renew Europe group, on Tuesday (9 January). "The risk of ungovernability is quite high (...) if the populist parties manage to have a blocking minority in the European Parliament," he said at a press briefing in Brussels, pointing to a "populist and nationalist rise across Europe".

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A majority "very difficult" to compose

"The risk is to have a majority that is very difficult to put together," continued the man who is also the leader of the French presidential party Renaissance. The Renew Europe group (centrists and liberals) is the third largest political force in the European Parliament behind the right-wing European People's Party (EPP) and the Socialists and Democrats (S&D). Composed of 40 political parties, it has 100 parliamentarians of 24 nationalities.

Asked about several recent polls placing Renew Europe in fourth place, behind the far-right Identity and Democracy (ID) group, Stéphane Séjourné said he was confident in his group's ability to retain third place and remain "the king maker" in the Parliament. He spoke of a target "around 90/100" elected". "We need to move from convinced Europeans to convincing Europeans," he said, referring to the months of campaigning to come.

Charles Michel decisive

Regarding the race for the "top jobs" in Europe that will start after the June elections, Stéphane Séjourné said he hoped that his group would propose a candidate for the head of each institution (Parliament, Commission, Council). As for the specific case of the Belgian Charles Michel, the current President of the European Council, who has just announced that he will be a candidate in the elections to the European Parliament, he remained evasive.

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"Obviously he will play an important role in our political family," he said, adding that he should be "asked" what his ambitions were. More than 400 million Europeans will be called to the polls from 6 to 9 June in the 27 countries of the Union to renew the Parliament, an institution that participates in the adoption of legislation alongside the Member States. In the last elections, in May 2019, the turnout was up, with the EU average at 50.66%.