Hot topics in the European election

[Anzeigenhauptmeister]

Dear fellow Europeans, I'd like to know what the top 3 hot topics in the context of the upcoming European election are in your countries.

As far as I can speak for Germany, those topics are:

• Brexit
• EU Copyright Directive
• external border control

⚠️Notate bene: I'm only referring to the reference frequency of a topic in the news coverage and to those topics that Joe Six-Pack considers important.

[Middle-aged Europe]

- Climate change
- Who's gonna be the next Commission President
- Not entirely sure about the third one... EU copyright reform is seemingly very important to a somewhat limited number of people. So I gotta go with a very much polarized "fighting/strengthening right-wing populists"/"curtailing/protecting immigrants" mega-issue.

[Anzeigenhauptmeister]

- Who's gonna be the next Commission President

Really? No. I mean REALLY no!
No one cares about that. Most Germans don't even know the commission-presidential candidates. They don't even know what the SEP (PES) and the EVP (EPP) are. And even those who do don't even care:

[Middle-aged Europe]

Really? No. I mean REALLY no!

Yes, REALLY.

One of the most frequent questions I get from voters at the moment is "will the Greens support Weber or Timmermans in the European Parliament?"

My response in this thread was based on what voters most frequently tend to ask me right now during the election campaign.

[Anzeigenhauptmeister]

Really? No. I mean REALLY no!

Yes, REALLY.

One of the most frequent question I get from voters at the moment is "will the Greens support Weber or Timmermans in the European Parliament?"

I guess you work as a campaign aide and as a member of the Greens you might have a very educated and politicized audience. The common people are not interested in the formation of factions in the EU Parliament and their multipartisan support of a candidate for the Commission President's office.
Maybe I ought to have made it clear in the OP that I'm referring to the media's coverage for certain topics.

[Middle-aged Europe]

I guess you work as a campaign aide and as a member of the Greens you might have a very educated and politicized audience.

I come contact with pretty much everyone, inluding (unfortunately) AfD voters. The AfD people do indeed not care about such questions. The Commission President question seems to come most frequently from SPD-Green swing voters ("I want to vote Green this time because the SPD sucks so badly, but I also don't want Weber as Commission President, so how do you stand on this issue?").

Maybe I ought to have made it clear in the OP that I'm referring to the media's coverage for certain topics.

Tomorrow evening, the second Weber-Timmermans debate will air on German television. This time on ZDF. So the question who's gonna be Commission President does play an important role in the media's coverage.

[Anzeigenhauptmeister]

The AfD people do indeed not care about such questions.

That's probably because the AfD is not part of a European party and therefore doesn't have a CP candidate. (Plus, everybody knows that Timmermans won't have the slightest chance of becoming CP.)

Tomorrow evening, the second Weber-Timmermans debate will air on German television. This time on ZDF. So the question who's gonna be Commission President does play an important role in the media's coverage.

The audience will consist of politically interested and educated voters, thus most of them (not even all) will know the two candidates beforehand. Beyond the TV debates there is hardly any discussion about the election of the CP.

[Middle-aged Europe]

The AfD people do indeed not care about such questions.

That's probably because the AfD is not part of a European party and therefore doesn't have a CP candidate.
 

Mostly it's because the average AfD voter doesn't care much for the EU at all (beyond it's ability to maybe curtail immigration.)

(Plus, everybody knows that Timmermans won't have the slightest chance of becoming CP.)
 

That’s a bit of a contradiction. How can "everybody know that Timmermans won’t have the slightest chance" when "most Germans don't even know the commission-presidential candidates"?

Tomorrow evening, the second Weber-Timmermans debate will air on German television. This time on ZDF. So the question who's gonna be Commission President does play an important role in the media's coverage.

The audience will consist of politically interested and educated voters, thus most of them (not even all) will know the two candidates beforehand.
[/quote]

I don't see the relevance of that statement or what you're getting at here. Politically interested or "educated" voters don't really count, because...??

Beyond the TV debates there is hardly any discussion about the election of the CP.

I won't bother now to google for the many newspaper articles on the Commision President race, but it does raise the question what threshold you would regard as "sufficient" here...



Anyway, you asked a question, I answered it. If you don't like the answers then don't ask.

[Anzeigenhauptmeister]

Mostly it's because the average AfD voter doesn't care much for the EU at all (beyond it's ability to maybe curtail immigration.)

They may not care for the EU itself, but they do care for EU election topics.

That’s a bit of a contradiction. How can "everybody know that Timmermans won’t have the slightest chance" when "most Germans don't even know the commission-presidential candidates"?

Replace "Timmermans" with "the SPE candidate", and you'll know what I mean.

I won't bother now to google for the many newspaper articles on the Commision President race, but it does raise the question what threshold you would regard as "sufficient" here...

I didn't claim that there isn't any discussion about the CP candidate at all, but there are topics that have been mentioned waaay more often in the news coverage. Both you and I named such examples.

Anyway, you asked a question, I answered it. If you don't like the answers then don't ask.

I didn't say I don't like your answers. I just said they're wrong.  
Plus, I'm actually looking for answers about the matter itself, as opposed to personnel issues. But nevertheless, thanks for your comments!

Whatever! I hope someone from another country is gonna join in the debate.

[Former President tack50]

Here in Spain the campaign has been eclipsed by the regional/local elections and other news. EU elections are barely talked about.

[Tintrlvr]

My distinct impression is that no one really votes on pan-European issues in EU elections, unless you consider UK voters treating it like a referendum on Brexit to be voting on a pan-European issue. Everyone else is voting based on local issues and which parties are ascendant/descendant locally (which may include issues that bleed into the international arena, like migration, but are fundamentally based on concerns at the national and not EU-wide level).

[Mike88]

In Portugal, the EP elections have become a referendum on António Costa's government. The political debate has basically zero references of European policies and almost everything is about national politics. Even some EU policies, like the EU funds to Portugal, have become a back and forward argument/insult match between PS and PSD.

[Zinneke]

It coincides with the federal debate so the European debate itself sort of merges into the general ideological debate, but from my experience the "European" themes are on ecology, environment, tackling bad banking measures and immigration.

[Tender Branson]

In Austria, the Left wants to show the right-wing government the middle finger in a protest election (which, according to polls, won’t happen).

Issues debated are:

Climate change and the transformation from fossil fuel to green energy and transportation. Higher taxes on fossil fuels and the phasing out of fossil fuel cars starting in 2025 by banning new registrations first.

Food safety, the ban of certain herbicides to regain the degrading biodiversity, immigration, integration and school bullying.

[Grand Wizard Lizard of the Klan]

Ummmmmm

-Law and Justice govt.

-Jewish claims

-LGBT and sexual education

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

Ummmmmm

-Law and Justice govt.

-Jewish claims

-LGBT and sexual education

Basically the extention of national politics. Literally no one gives a f**k about who'll lead the European Commission or which faction shall have most seats in the EP.

[Omega21]

In Austria, the Left wants to show the right-wing government the middle finger in a protest election (which, according to polls, won’t happen).

Issues debated are:

Climate change and the transformation from fossil fuel to green energy and transportation. Higher taxes on fossil fuels and the phasing out of fossil fuel cars starting in 2025 by banning new registrations first.

Food safety, the ban of certain herbicides to regain the degrading biodiversity, immigration, integration and school bullying.

Who wants to ban fossil fuel cars from 2025?

I'm sure it's not the Center-Right, and I've genuinely not heard of such a plan.

Austria has one of the highest clean energy ratios in Europe, so yeah, it's not like there is any need to ban cars...

[Tender Branson]

In Austria, the Left wants to show the right-wing government the middle finger in a protest election (which, according to polls, won’t happen).

Issues debated are:

Climate change and the transformation from fossil fuel to green energy and transportation. Higher taxes on fossil fuels and the phasing out of fossil fuel cars starting in 2025 by banning new registrations first.

Food safety, the ban of certain herbicides to regain the degrading biodiversity, immigration, integration and school bullying.

Who wants to ban fossil fuel cars from 2025?

I'm sure it's not the Center-Right, and I've genuinely not heard of such a plan.

Austria has one of the highest clean energy ratios in Europe, so yeah, it's not like there is any need to ban cars...

The Greens. And while all other parties (even the FPÖ) are not calling for an outright ban on new registrations, they all want to increase incentives to buy more e-cars in the next years, by offering more tax credits for buyers (such as no NOVA-tax) and more e-grid stations to charge the vehicles.

The Greens plan is to phase out the gas/diesel cars, starting in 2025 - by banning new registrations for those vehicles. Only e- or hydrogen cars would be allowed to be sold or registered from that point on. Eventually, this would lead to an all-green car fleet in Austria (excl. transit and tourism) over the next decades, as more and more cars are replaced by green cars.

I think it's a good idea, now that e-cars are getting better and better when it comes to battery power and range. Obviously, the price would have to drop further, so that anyone can buy an e-car with a range of 500-600km for 20.000€ or something.

[Omega21]

In Austria, the Left wants to show the right-wing government the middle finger in a protest election (which, according to polls, won’t happen).

Issues debated are:

Climate change and the transformation from fossil fuel to green energy and transportation. Higher taxes on fossil fuels and the phasing out of fossil fuel cars starting in 2025 by banning new registrations first.

Food safety, the ban of certain herbicides to regain the degrading biodiversity, immigration, integration and school bullying.

Who wants to ban fossil fuel cars from 2025?

I'm sure it's not the Center-Right, and I've genuinely not heard of such a plan.

Austria has one of the highest clean energy ratios in Europe, so yeah, it's not like there is any need to ban cars...

The Greens. And while all other parties (even the FPÖ) are not calling for an outright ban on new registrations, they all want to increase incentives to buy more e-cars in the next years, by offering more tax credits for buyers (such as no NOVA-tax) and more e-grid stations to charge the vehicles.

The Greens plan is to phase out the gas/diesel cars, starting in 2025 - by banning new registrations for those vehicles. Only e- or hydrogen cars would be allowed to be sold or registered from that point on. Eventually, this would lead to an all-green car fleet in Austria (excl. transit and tourism) over the next decades, as more and more cars are replaced by green cars.

I think it's a good idea, now that e-cars are getting better and better when it comes to battery power and range. Obviously, the price would have to drop further, so that anyone can buy an e-car with a range of 500-600km for 20.000€ or something.

Yeah, but prices are not going to drop that low in just 6 years...

Plus, electric cars need to do 100,000 km (or was it miles?) before they are carbon neutral (due to the very complicated process of manufacturing), and it still depends on how the actual electricity is produced.

In reality, this ban is not going anywhere, as I can't see any serious parties supporting it, and I doubt Austrians would give up their cars so easily.

[parochial boy]

Well I just received my ballot paper for the Migros Co-operatives Zurich referendum. So you can all go and stick your poxy European elections or whatever.

[Tender Branson]

In Austria, the Left wants to show the right-wing government the middle finger in a protest election (which, according to polls, won’t happen).

Issues debated are:

Climate change and the transformation from fossil fuel to green energy and transportation. Higher taxes on fossil fuels and the phasing out of fossil fuel cars starting in 2025 by banning new registrations first.

Food safety, the ban of certain herbicides to regain the degrading biodiversity, immigration, integration and school bullying.

Who wants to ban fossil fuel cars from 2025?

I'm sure it's not the Center-Right, and I've genuinely not heard of such a plan.

Austria has one of the highest clean energy ratios in Europe, so yeah, it's not like there is any need to ban cars...

The Greens. And while all other parties (even the FPÖ) are not calling for an outright ban on new registrations, they all want to increase incentives to buy more e-cars in the next years, by offering more tax credits for buyers (such as no NOVA-tax) and more e-grid stations to charge the vehicles.

The Greens plan is to phase out the gas/diesel cars, starting in 2025 - by banning new registrations for those vehicles. Only e- or hydrogen cars would be allowed to be sold or registered from that point on. Eventually, this would lead to an all-green car fleet in Austria (excl. transit and tourism) over the next decades, as more and more cars are replaced by green cars.

I think it's a good idea, now that e-cars are getting better and better when it comes to battery power and range. Obviously, the price would have to drop further, so that anyone can buy an e-car with a range of 500-600km for 20.000€ or something.

Yeah, but prices are not going to drop that low in just 6 years...

Plus, electric cars need to do 100,000 km (or was it miles?) before they are carbon neutral (due to the very complicated process of manufacturing), and it still depends on how the actual electricity is produced.

In reality, this ban is not going anywhere, as I can't see any serious parties supporting it, and I doubt Austrians would give up their cars so easily.

You are right about the first part, wrong about the 2nd part:

* I agree that e-cars (or trucks, or tractors) are not the end of the climate solution right now because the battery production involves a lot of rare earth materials like Lithium that are mined in poor places such as Bolivia or the Congo by poor people. And their recycling is troublesome. Also, the prices are too high for the middle-class right now, but considering how the crap is mined by poor people, it's actually OK. Therefore, hydrogen cars would be the better solution, probably. But I'm no expert.

* On the second point, you are wrong: the ban at some point is needed and Austrian voters (who are quite green and nature-minded) are well aware of that. Sales of e-bikes and e-mountainbikes have skyrocketed in recent years for example. I own one. Most in my family own one. FPÖ-voters own them. Therefore a transition to e-cars will only be a matter of time, if the price is right and the charging grid is perfected so that you can charge your car every 500 meters in half an hour while shopping.

[Tender Branson]

In Austria, the Left wants to show the right-wing government the middle finger in a protest election (which, according to polls, won’t happen).

Issues debated are:

Climate change and the transformation from fossil fuel to green energy and transportation. Higher taxes on fossil fuels and the phasing out of fossil fuel cars starting in 2025 by banning new registrations first.

Food safety, the ban of certain herbicides to regain the degrading biodiversity, immigration, integration and school bullying.

Who wants to ban fossil fuel cars from 2025?

I'm sure it's not the Center-Right, and I've genuinely not heard of such a plan.

Austria has one of the highest clean energy ratios in Europe, so yeah, it's not like there is any need to ban cars...

The Greens. And while all other parties (even the FPÖ) are not calling for an outright ban on new registrations, they all want to increase incentives to buy more e-cars in the next years, by offering more tax credits for buyers (such as no NOVA-tax) and more e-grid stations to charge the vehicles.

The Greens plan is to phase out the gas/diesel cars, starting in 2025 - by banning new registrations for those vehicles. Only e- or hydrogen cars would be allowed to be sold or registered from that point on. Eventually, this would lead to an all-green car fleet in Austria (excl. transit and tourism) over the next decades, as more and more cars are replaced by green cars.

I think it's a good idea, now that e-cars are getting better and better when it comes to battery power and range. Obviously, the price would have to drop further, so that anyone can buy an e-car with a range of 500-600km for 20.000€ or something.

Yeah, but prices are not going to drop that low in just 6 years...

Plus, electric cars need to do 100,000 km (or was it miles?) before they are carbon neutral (due to the very complicated process of manufacturing), and it still depends on how the actual electricity is produced.

In reality, this ban is not going anywhere, as I can't see any serious parties supporting it, and I doubt Austrians would give up their cars so easily.

You are right about the first part, wrong about the 2nd part:

* I agree that e-cars (or trucks, or tractors) are not the end of the climate solution right now because the battery production involves a lot of rare earth materials like Lithium that are mined in poor places such as Bolivia or the Congo by poor people. And their recycling is troublesome. Also, the prices are too high for the middle-class right now, but considering how the crap is mined by poor people, it's actually OK. Therefore, hydrogen cars would be the better solution, probably. But I'm no expert.

* On the second point, you are wrong: the ban at some point is needed and Austrian voters (who are quite green and nature-minded) are well aware of that. Sales of e-bikes and e-mountainbikes have skyrocketed in recent years for example. I own one. Most in my family own one. FPÖ-voters own them. Therefore a transition to e-cars will only be a matter of time, if the price is right and the charging grid is perfected so that you can charge your car every 500 meters in half an hour while shopping.

In addition to this, I think that every current method of transportation (other than walking by foot) is dangerous to nature and destroying it.

Why ?

Because even if you use a hydrogen car the method of production involves the mining of rare-earth materials elsewhere, which leads to the total destruction of the biosphere somewhere else.

Also, I have read studies recently about microplastic in tires of cars. People often focus on emmissions only, which is driving climate change and emissions. But tires are no smaller problem: Small rubber particles end up on roads and fields nearby on a huge amount every day. These small rubber particles are eaten by cows nearby, then ending up in the human food chain. Causing cancer and all sorts of allergies. Bees are dying off, so are insects. If the insects are dying off, the birds die off and so on ...

I think the only solution to solve this problem is A) invest in research to find a way to beam people and objects from one place to another (Star Trek style) and B) kill off capitalism and return to basic farming once A is established.

[Omega21]

You are right about the first part, wrong about the 2nd part:

* I agree that e-cars (or trucks, or tractors) are not the end of the climate solution right now because the battery production involves a lot of rare earth materials like Lithium that are mined in poor places such as Bolivia or the Congo by poor people. And their recycling is troublesome. Also, the prices are too high for the middle-class right now, but considering how the crap is mined by poor people, it's actually OK. Therefore, hydrogen cars would be the better solution, probably. But I'm no expert.

* On the second point, you are wrong: the ban at some point is needed and Austrian voters (who are quite green and nature-minded) are well aware of that. Sales of e-bikes and e-mountainbikes have skyrocketed in recent years for example. I own one. Most in my family own one. FPÖ-voters own them. Therefore a transition to e-cars will only be a matter of time, if the price is right and the charging grid is perfected so that you can charge your car every 500 meters in half an hour while shopping.


In addition to this, I think that every current method of transportation (other than walking by foot) is dangerous to nature and destroying it.

Why ?

Because even if you use a hydrogen car the method of production involves the mining of rare-earth materials elsewhere, which leads to the total destruction of the biosphere somewhere else.

Also, I have read studies recently about microplastic in tires of cars. People often focus on emmissions only, which is driving climate change and emissions. But tires are no smaller problem: Small rubber particles end up on roads and fields nearby on a huge amount every day. These small rubber particles are eaten by cows nearby, then ending up in the human food chain. Causing cancer and all sorts of allergies. Bees are dying off, so are insects. If the insects are dying off, the birds die off and so on ...

I think the only solution to solve this problem is A) invest in research to find a way to beam people and objects from one place to another (Star Trek style) and B) kill off capitalism and return to basic farming once A is established.

Oh no, I agree that a shift is necessary, I just believe 2025 is too soon.

I would think a better idea would be to allow petrol and diesel until 2035, use the higher taxes towards infrastructure and green energy (whether that's charging stations or making hydrogen cheaper and more available) and then make the switch around 2035.

Austria is a very "rural country", and getting quick charging stations or hydrogen fuel stations to all the villages is not that cheap or easy, and plus, Austria would need to make 100+% of its electricity through renewable sources, as the switch (if to electric vehicles) would cause a spike in demand for electricity.

As for the last part, things are not so desperate...

[Tender Branson]

You are right about the first part, wrong about the 2nd part:

* I agree that e-cars (or trucks, or tractors) are not the end of the climate solution right now because the battery production involves a lot of rare earth materials like Lithium that are mined in poor places such as Bolivia or the Congo by poor people. And their recycling is troublesome. Also, the prices are too high for the middle-class right now, but considering how the crap is mined by poor people, it's actually OK. Therefore, hydrogen cars would be the better solution, probably. But I'm no expert.

* On the second point, you are wrong: the ban at some point is needed and Austrian voters (who are quite green and nature-minded) are well aware of that. Sales of e-bikes and e-mountainbikes have skyrocketed in recent years for example. I own one. Most in my family own one. FPÖ-voters own them. Therefore a transition to e-cars will only be a matter of time, if the price is right and the charging grid is perfected so that you can charge your car every 500 meters in half an hour while shopping.


In addition to this, I think that every current method of transportation (other than walking by foot) is dangerous to nature and destroying it.

Why ?

Because even if you use a hydrogen car the method of production involves the mining of rare-earth materials elsewhere, which leads to the total destruction of the biosphere somewhere else.

Also, I have read studies recently about microplastic in tires of cars. People often focus on emmissions only, which is driving climate change and emissions. But tires are no smaller problem: Small rubber particles end up on roads and fields nearby on a huge amount every day. These small rubber particles are eaten by cows nearby, then ending up in the human food chain. Causing cancer and all sorts of allergies. Bees are dying off, so are insects. If the insects are dying off, the birds die off and so on ...

I think the only solution to solve this problem is A) invest in research to find a way to beam people and objects from one place to another (Star Trek style) and B) kill off capitalism and return to basic farming once A is established.

Oh no, I agree that a shift is necessary, I just believe 2025 is too soon.

I would think a better idea would be to allow petrol and diesel until 2035, use the higher taxes towards infrastructure and green energy (whether that's charging stations or making hydrogen cheaper and more available) and then make the switch around 2035.

Austria is a very "rural country", and getting quick charging stations or hydrogen fuel stations to all the villages is not that cheap or easy, and plus, Austria would need to make 100+% of its electricity through renewable sources, as the switch (if to electric vehicles) would cause a spike in demand for electricity.

As for the last part, things are not so desperate...

If you always say "[year] is too soon." then things will never get done and the Green mobility transformation will never really start.

Oh, things are desperate, as I have outlined with the disintegrating biodiversity all over the globe and the reckless destruction of the biosphere by the metastasizing human race.

95% of people on the planet do not even realize that they are Earth's malign cancer cells and continue to destroy the planet by creating more cancer cells (kids).

Only if we go all-Green now, kill off capitalism and return to basic farming, things can be turned around ...

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

fwiw Norway plans to ban petrol and diesel cars in 2025, although it would be a lot easier for them given that over half of all new cars are electric anyway. (Costa Rica claims to be implementing the ban in 2021, although that seems ... ambitious)