CoFoE: SaS Reluctant about Supranational Slates for EU Election
Bratislava, March 19 (TASR) – Foreign Affairs Ministry State Secretary Martin Klus (Freedom and Solidarity/SaS) is aware of and respects the fact that some European Union (EU) citizens want to see the direct election of European political parties, but SaS is reluctant when it comes to supranational slates.
“Considerations concerning supranational slates are linked to concerns about disturbing parity in the representation of member states in the European Parliament, partly given the significantly different levels at which so-called European political families in various EU-member states are established,” Klus told TASR, adding that he can’t imagine such slates being used in the 2024 elections.
Italian MEP and head of the Union of European Federalists (UEF) Sandro Gozi recently spoke about the introduction of supranational lists of candidates at a plenary of the Conference on the Future of Europe (CoFoE) in Strasbourg, referring to the expectations of EU citizens.
SaS has taken this on board, but it points out that member states have fundamentally different political, electoral and, therefore, party systems. “Therefore, I dare say that among the CoFoE demands presented by citizens there are certainly more feasible ones than this one. But as we promised before the start of the CoFoE that the voice of the people would be the voice of God, it is now our duty to look for ways to implement it,” added Klus.
Klus expects in May a proposal from the European Parliament to change the rules for lists of candidates in European elections. “I expect a really comprehensive discussion only then. Until then, I believe that we’ll also make progress at the national level regarding the European elections in 2024, which most fundamentally presupposes their merger with the second round of the presidential election,” he said. Otherwise, he’s afraid that a new non-participation record will be set, as it would be a fourth election in just three months.