Leading the Way for the EU: A New Parliament & College of Commissioners

Leading the Way for the European Union: A New Parliament and New College of Commissioners

Every 5 years, elections for the 720 members of the European Parliament signal the advent of a new era of leadership for the European Union. The European Parliament is an essential partner in the EU legislative process and plays a key role in endorsing the nomination of the new President for the European Commission as well as the Commissioners proposed by each Member State for the College of Commissioners.

In June 2024, the elections resulted in an increased support for the centre-right while the centre-left and the liberals held their vote sufficiently to continue the ‘grand coalition’ which has governed the Parliament for several decades. However the circumstances of voting in specific Member States tell a more dynamic story about a changing balance of power in the Parliament and in the EU institutions. For example, an increased vote for the far-right in the key Member States of France and Germany strengthened their voice considerably. Hungary’s President Orban has taken his group out of the centre-right and into a new far-right grouping, Patriots for Europe. This group now has considerable presence even though they are excluded politically from leadership positions in the Parliament. Similarly, Meloni’s support in Italy means that she now has a commanding positing through leadership of the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR).

This seminar will explore the implications of the changing patterns in the voting across different Member States, and how this might shape the political dynamics amongst the EU institutions, and their capacity to continue to engage in global geopolitics.

Panel Moderator:

Professor Bruce Wilson, Director, RMIT European Union Center of Excellence

Guest Speakers:

Professor Gabriele Suder is the Associate Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Academic at Federation University Australia, and Honorary Professor. In addition to university leadership, she is an expert and advisory background at Gartner Inc. and has served for Global Value Chain research for two decades now for the World Trade Organisation, OECD and JETRO, federal and state government. Prof Suder has significant experience in education strategy and investment advice, as well as product development lead for custom learning solutions (digital innovation) across APAC and worldwide. She is fellow at various world-class universities and research organisations and has served as Director International Relations at the University of Melbourne and Hon. Professor at Melbourne Business School, after more than a decade at SKEMA Business School in France, the USA and China. Prof Suder is a regular keynote speaker and panellist at leading organisations, conferences, and in the media on European and EU matters. She has extensive publications, including 14 business books. For more information please visit her website: http://gabrielesuder.altervista.org/index.html

Professor Bruno Mascitelli has been active in the European Studies environment for over three decades. An academic at Swinburne University and holder of a Jean Monnet Chair (2016-2019), Bruno was President of the European Studies Association from 2004 until 2021. He has published widely on European and Italian political economy and is a co-author of his latest book The road to the European Union: Albania and the Italian “partner".

-Light lunch will be served for in-person attendees before the seminar begins

-To join online, please use the following link/details for Microsoft Teams; to ask a question online during the Q&A please use the Teams chat:

,Meeting ID: / Passcode: xtUvU7

Host or Publisher EU Centre at RMIT