European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced the European People's Party's (EPP) intention to form a "center" in the newly constituted European Parliament after the elections, cooperating with political forces that hold pro-European and pro-Ukrainian positions, citing The Guardian.
Speaking to journalists in the European Parliament during the announcement of the EP election results, she noted that "today is a good day for the European People’s party."
According to the latest exit poll data, the EPP is projected to secure 189 seats in the European Parliament, followed by the Socialists and Democrats with 135 seats and the Renew Europe political group with 83 seats.
Meanwhile, the group of European Conservatives and Reformists, which includes parties like Giorgia Meloni's Brothers of Italy, is forecasted to gain 72 seats, while the far-right Identity and Democracy group is expected to secure 58 seats.
"We won the European elections. This election has given us two messages," von der Leyen said.
Firstly, she emphasized, "there remains a majority in the center for a strong Europe, and that is crucial for stability."
"In other words, the center is holding. But it is also true that the extremes on the left and on the right have gained support, and this is why the result comes with great responsibility for the parties in the center," von der Leyen said.
She added that she wants to continue working "with those who are pro-European, pro-Ukraine, pro-rule of law."
Von der Leyen also said that the world around us is currently in turmoil.
"Forces from the outside and from the inside are trying to destabilize our societies, and they are trying to weaken Europe. We will never let that happen. These election results show that the majority of Europeans want a strong Europe," she said.
2024 European Parliament elections
The pan-European elections to the European Parliament took place from June 6 to June 9, with the new legislature set to begin work on July 16.
According to exit polls, in Germany, the far-right Alternative for Germany is outperforming Chancellor Olaf Scholz's party. However, the conservative CDU/CSU coalition is securing an undisputed victory.
Additionally, exit polls in France show that Marine Le Pen's pro-Russian National Rally is leading the elections, while President Emmanuel Macron's Renaissance party is coming in second.
In Italy, exit polls by Opinio Rai indicate that the current government leader Giorgia Meloni's party Brothers of Italy is leading with an expected result of 26-30%.
A preliminary assessment of what the new European Parliament might look like can be found via this link.
Furthermore, RBC-Ukraine summarized the main outcomes of the European Parliament elections.
