EU voters close to Russia crave one thing above all

Between now and tomorrow evening, several hundred million people will vote in elections for the next EU parliament, in what is billed as the second-largest exercise in representative democracy in the world after elections in India.
But the numbers actually voting have habitually been far fewer than in national elections, with turnout overall barely registering above 50 per cent, and a lot less in some countries, especially those further east.
There are hopes that this year could see that pattern change. The reason is that these are the first EU-wide elections to be held since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. And while the election agenda as seen from the western and southern parts of Europe has been dominated by hostility to migration and cost of living issues, with forecasts of gains for the far right, electoral concerns as seen from the northeast of the EU are different.
How different is what I have been trying to find out, travelling from Finland, through the Baltic states, to northeastern Poland. And here, while you will find a flicker of the same preoccupations that have dominated the campaigning further south and west, the big topic on what is essentially the European Union’s northeastern frontier is summed up in one word: security.
Five years ago, when EU parliament elections were last held, there was certainly far less urgency over the issue. Although there was a security aspect to the EU, it was seen as the responsibility of Nato, and attitudes to Nato diverged. Finland and Sweden were neutral; the Baltic states and Poland were impassioned Atlanticists, while Hungary stood out as a weak link. EU elections anyway largely reflected domestic issues.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der June 08, 2024-Ausgabe von The Independent.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 9.500 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent ? Anmelden
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der June 08, 2024-Ausgabe von The Independent.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 9.500 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden

Israeli airstrikes kill dozens of Palestinians in Gaza Strip
Starving people also being shot while waiting for aid as locals fear Iran-Israel war has shifted focus from their catastrophe

Who is really to blame for miserable failures of HS27
Heidi Alexander, the transport secretary, was determined to blame the Conservatives when she announced that what is left of the High Speed Two rail project will be delayed again.

City cruise to victory in Club World Cup opener
The late sending off of Rico Lewis marred a comfortable victory for Manchester City in their Club World Cup opener.

Food prices have risen again are supermarkets at fault?
No, say retail giants who point the finger at the chancellor's tax rises as food inflation jumps to 4.4 per cent. James Moore follows the supply chain to explain why we are paying more

Draper into quarter-finals after victory over Popyrin
When Jack Draper played at Queen's last year he was still something of an unfinished article.

Why Labour's bid to reform ECHR is freighted with risk
Shabana Mahmood has said the European Convention on Human Rights must be reformed to restore public confidence as Keir Starmer's government seeks to tackle the issue head-on.

Meditation, reading and three modest meals a day
Prison logs offer a glimpse into Aung San Suu Kyi's life

THE PACE RACE
James Anderson and Stuart Broad assess England's seamers ahead of 'era-defining' Tests against India and Australia

Two million more to get £150 winter fuel discount
Around 2 million more people will receive an automatic discount on their energy bills this winter as Labour confirms the expansion of an annual scheme.

Trump risks giving Tehran the final showdown it wants
In the feverish rhetoric of this new age of chaos, Donald Trump has upped the temperature dangerously close to delirium with a threat to kill the supreme leader of Iran - not yet, but maybe and Trump knows where he's hiding.