By Martin Banks - 9th June 2009
Neither protectionism nor nationalisation will help to overcome this crisis
Annemie Neyts
Green party co-leader Daniel Cohn-Bendit has condemned the "destructive" message of new Eurosceptic MEPs and those from the extreme right.
Reacting to the outcome of the elections, which saw his party win between 52-56 seats, compared with 43 in 2004, he said, "This is D-Day for environmental politics in Europe.
"In many countries record numbers have voted Green and supported our vision for the future. Europeans welcomed our constructive, positive stance and that - unlike others - we were willing to talk about genuine European issues in this European election.
"This stands in stark contrast with the destructive message of Eurosceptics and the extreme right who regrettably also made gains," said the MEP, who was re-elected.
Far right parties have gained seats in Austria, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Romania and the UK.
Despite declines in some member states, such as Belgium, France and Poland, there are fears that these parties may establish a far-right group in parliament.
Further reaction to this came from Annemie Neyts, MEP and ELDR party president, who said, "The losses suffered by the two largest parties were mostly due to gains made by far right, nationalist movements, which reinforces the strong performance of liberal parties.
"The nasty attacks of the leader of the PSE against liberals during the campaign haven't paid off. Furthermore, the regrettable representation of far-right, populists parties won't be able to respond to the most pressing challenging of today's economic crisis and its consequences.
"Neither protectionism nor nationalisation will help to overcome this crisis."
Veteran GUE leader Francis Wurtz, a French MEP, said, "The weight of the forces of the right in the new parliament is not the result of a huge majority vote in its favour.
"Rather, it reflects tthe increasing disaffection by the world of work and a significant part of the "middle classes" from parties seated to the left of the hemicycle."
The European Network Against Racism (ENAR) said it was "strongly concerned" by the progress made by the far right in many EU member states during the European elections.
Mohammed Aziz, ENAR president, said: “The rise of the far-right in Europe is a worrying trend, exacerbated by the current economic crisis and the increasing insecurity that people feel about their future.
"Messages fuelling xenophobic and racist attitudes and undermining the EU values of equal treatment and respect for human rights cannot be allowed to become a legitimate political voice.”
Meanwhile, Glenis Willmott, who leads the UK Socialist delegation in parliament, has expressed her "full support" for embattled UK PM Gordon Brown .
She wrote to Brown to thank him personally for his support for Labour candidates in the elections, calling his commitment to addressing the key European issues as "exemplary."
"It has been disappointing that the media, prompted by our political opponents, failed to pay any attention to a number of crucial issues in this campaign.”
“The economic crisis, as well as issues of climate change, employment rights, equality and consumer protection should have been debated during this election. It is these issues where working together with our European partners is so important.”
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