WHAT COMES NEXT? A Candidate Perspective on the EP Policy Priorities until 2019

• Main Author: Sergiu Gherghina
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: European Institute of Romania 2014-09-01
• Series: Romanian Journal of European Affairs
• Subjects: candidates; European elections; European Parliament; perceptions; policy priorities
• Online Access: http://rjea.ier.ro/sites/rjea.ier.ro/files/articole/RJEA_2014_vol14_no3_art_4.pdf

Promises during electoral campaigns have been the focus of an extensive body of literature. So far, the candidates’ perceptions prior to the moment of policy formulation received little attention. To partly address this problem, this article analyses the priorities of the European legislature for the 2014-2019 legislative term through the eyes of Romanian candidates in the 2014 European elections. The empirical evidence comes from a survey conducted during the electoral campaign (April-May) among candidates from 14 out of 15 competing parties. The results indicate little agreement about the perception of problems with which the EP will confront in the near future. Although one third of the candidates identified economic issues as central, qualitative insights into candidates’ answers reveal different meanings attached to economy. Furthermore, important differences of policy perspectives are observable when looking at party affiliation, list position, and age.