The 2024 European elections shifted the balance of power between the pro-European centre and the far-right fractions in the European Parliament. In the free-content article in issue 3/26 of integration, Nicolai von Ondarza and Sophia Russack examine the consequences for the EU legislative process.
Germany’s role in the EU is addressed in two contributions: in an article, Juliette Subileau analyses how the German print media coined the term “German Vote” to describe abstentions by the federal government in the Council of the EU. In the forum section, Gabriele Abels and Martin Große Hüttmann present reform ideas aimed at improving the involvement of Germany’s “Länder” in European policy.
Two further forum articles address questions concerning the future: Wolfgang Petzold takes stock of the current state of negotiations on the next multiannual financial framework that will shape the EU’s political direction until the mid-2030s. Daniel Hegedüs puts forward proposals for a more coherent European policy to protect civil society that has come under pressure from illiberal actors within the EU.
In the literature section, Wilfried Loth reviews publications on Hilda Monte and Willy Brandt – both visionary thinkers of a united Europe. Simone Klee and Klara Stecker present recommendations for a more resilient and capable Europe, developed by young German-Italian leaders at the Spinelli Forum 2026.
Shifting Majorities, Fragmented Centre: The European Parliament after its 2024 elections
Nicolai von Ondarza/Sophia Russack
The 2024 European elections shifted the balance of power in the European Parliament: while the pro-European centre of the European People’s Party (EPP), the Socialists and Democrats (S&D) and the Liberals (Renew Europe) still hold a majority, gains for the far right and losses for liberals and greens have visibly changed the picture. Because majorities in the European Parliament form vote-by-vote rather than along a government-opposition logic, this reshapes legislative dynamics. The article analyses the tenth legislative term (to May 2026) through four majority constellations: the dominant but less stable "von der Leyen platform", oversized consensus majorities, EPP cooperation with the far right (the “Venezuela majority”), and thematic ad-hoc alliances (the “horseshoe majority”). Policymaking in the European Union increasingly resembles a minority government with the EPP as kingmaker. This strengthens the EPP in the short term but, in the long run, endangers the parliament’s capacity to act and the pro-European centre.
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The ‘German Vote’ in the Council of the European Union – media construct or real political phenomenon?
Juliette Subileau
Drawing on Reiner Keller’s sociological discourse analysis, as well as the social constructivist theory of Peter L. Berger and Thomas Luckmann, and Robert Entman’s framing approach, this article analyses how the “German vote” is discursively constructed and politically instrumentalised in German media coverage. A cross-national analysis of newspaper articles from nine European print media outlets (2004–2024), compared with actual voting data in the Council, reveals that German abstentions are disproportionately discussed and negatively framed, regardless of their actual frequency in a European context. The results suggest that the “German vote” is less attributable to Germany’s structural voting behaviour and is instead largely generated and reinforced by media discourse. The study thus contributes to a better understanding of discursive reality construction in political communication, as well as prompting reflection on journalistic practices in European reporting.
Big challenges, scarce resources: State of play of the negotiations on the EU budget 2028–2034
Wolfgang Petzold
This article is about the ongoing negotiations on the European Union’s Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) 2028–2034. They started with the European Commission’s proposals of July and September 2025 and could possibly be concluded by the end of 2026 in case of an agreement in the European Council. In June 2026, the common position of the Council on the MFF was still pending with the debate proceeding along known conflict lines between net contributors and net recipients. A “negotiating box” presented by the Cyprus Presidency for the European Council of 18/19 June 2026 envisaged a MFF volume 2 percent lower than the Commission’s proposal, a move that met with criticism. The European Parliament had articulated its position on 28 April 2026 suggesting a 10 percent increase compared to the MFF’s total as suggested by the European Commission. The article contextualises the dynamics of the negotiations on multiannual EU budgets, juxtaposes the positions of the European Parliament and the Council on key issues and gives an outlook on the further procedure.
The ‘Ecosystem’ of the EU Politics of the German Länder: Stock-taking and Outlook
Gabriele Abels/Martin Große Hüttmann
Since the 1950s, the German Länder have played a key role in shaping Germany’s European politics. This was driven by fears of a creeping erosion of federalism resulting from the transfer of powers from the Länder to the European level by the federal government. Based on the vision of a “Europe of the Regions”, they have, particularly since the 1980s and through an incremental, “co-evolutionary” process, developed numerous instruments to better represent their interests in European affairs – in the national, supranational and transnational arenas alike. Over time, a complex “ecosystem” of regional participation has emerged. This article outlines the historical genesis of the system and proposes – rooted in a “federal spirit” – measures for its further development towards a “Europe with the regions”.
Civil society under pressure – the conceptual inconsistency of EU policy on the protection of civil society space
Daniel Hegedüs
Civil society has increasingly been targeted by illiberal actors across the European Union (EU) in recent years. This article argues that the EU’s response remains conceptually incoherent: while the European Democracy Shield correctly identifies authoritarian actors and strategies as threats to democratic resilience, the EU Strategy for Civil Society frames restrictions on civic space as a structural process. This structural framing obscures the political logic of illiberal attacks and weakens EU instruments. The article examines three dimensions of the threat: restrictive action by illiberal governments, societal polarisation and the erosion of civil society’s financial foundations, and changing political majorities within the EU alongside the retreat of US democracy support. It concludes that a coherent policy must combine effective enforcement of freedom of association, diversified funding structures and a whole-of-society approach to democratic resilience.
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