Jul 3. Posted by glhermine. After France, this post looks at the EP election results in some of the most important member-states in EU affairs today — Germany and Greece as well as Hungary, important in its own way. For more information on parties, please refer to older posts I may have written on these countries on this blog or some excellent pre-election guides by Chris Terry on DemSoc. Note to readers: I am aware of the terrible backlog, but covering the EP elections in 28 countries in detail takes quite some time.
I still welcome any guest posts with open arms :. Turnout: This has been particularly true in the last five or so years, for a variety of reasons. As the economic and political powerhouse of the EU and Eurozone, therefore, Germany has come to assume a leading role in the Eurozone crisis. Germany has been at the forefront, furthermore, of negotiations related to bailout packages for Greece, Ireland, Portugal and Cyprus. For example, Germany has a very low birthrate and skills shortage is a particularly big issue.
With the economic crisis, Germany has already welcomed thousands of southern European immigrants, particularly younger and educated citizens, fleeing huge levels of youth unemployment in Spain, Italy, Greece and so forth. Regardless, in the eyes of most voters, Merkel and, by extension, her party have come to stand for economic stability and growth in chaotic and uncertain times; a steady and reliable hand at the helm.
Fairly or unfairly, the widespread perception in Germany is that Merkel is a strong and capable leader who has been a steady hand in turbulent waters, who has successfully protected Germany from European economic turmoils. Merkel has often been perceived as lacking any ideological direction of her own, instead she has run things on the basis of shifting her policies and adapting herself to what was popular.
Just a year before, her government had overturned a red-green decision to shut all reactors down by Since then, Merkel and the CDU have promoted renewable energy, which is off to a tough start.
