European Union lawmakers rejected a proposal on Wednesday for pan-EU lists of candidates for seats in the European Parliament but French President Emmanuel Macron said he would continue to press for such transnational lists, reports Reuters.
The proposal, with 368 against and 274 in favor and 34 abstentions, failed after the center-right European People’s Party (EPP) said there was no legal basis for what one lawmaker called “another elite-driven project”.
But Macron said he supported the idea, which EU governments must still vote on, ahead of the May 2019 European Parliament.
“France will continue to defend this idea in months and years to come because it would contribute to strengthening European democracy by creating debates on European challenges and not strictly national ones during EU elections,” Macron’s office said in a statement.
Macron and his fellow national leaders, who have a final say, will discuss the matter at a summit on Feb. 23. Several of them, notably from smaller states which believe transnational lists would be dominated by France and Germany, have expressed opposition.
EU officials also doubt the necessary law changes in all 27 states could be completed in time to allow for the introduction of the system as early as next year.
Macron set up his own party to win election in France last year and it has yet to form cross-border alliances within the European Parliament, limiting its influence there. Next year’s election, and potentially a transnational list backed by Macron, could increase the French president’s voice in the EU assembly.