Matthias
All about elections and polling in the EU.
Based in Brussels, In love with bad puns. Usually grumpy.
- "In an e-mail available to ARD magazine, there is talk of a 'originally agreed' compromise between the EPP Group around Manfred Weber with the entire right-wing block in the EU Parliament" www.tagesschau.de/investigativ...
- Reposted by MatthiasLatest European Parliament #Eurobarometer: ▪ 89% of respondents call on EU member states to be more united to face global challenges ▪ 86% want the EU to have a stronger voice ▪ 73% want more EU resources to tackle threats at international level. 🔗 link.europa.eu/4VJyHy
- Reposted by MatthiasThis Tuesday from 10.30, accredited journalists are invited to an under-embargo briefing to present the results of Parliament's latest #Eurobarometer survey on public perceptions of the EU and its priorities. Results will be published on Wednesday morning. 🔗 link.europa.eu/tQtgVK
- Some Werner Herzog fans in Germany's foreign ministry www.youtube.com/watch?v=mnTU...
- European governments are trying to step up their meme. This was posted by German foreign minister @aussenminister.diplo.de on Tiktok and Instagram. Though not sure mixing E3 (with Keir Starmer) and lots of EU symbolism was entirely thought through. For sure 🇪🇺
- Reposted by MatthiasCompare this to how careful the EU was during the Brexit negotiations to not do anything to encourage Scottish separatism, outside of a few fringe voices. And it would have rightly been seen as heavy outside intervention, if EU leaders had made offers to the Scottish independence movement.
- Hybrid US warfare against it’s neighbour evolving… Trump officials met group pushing Alberta independence from Canada giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...
- "Radev announced his resignation as head of state in a televised address on the evening of January 19, though he did not make clear the identity of his political project nor who his electoral partners would be." sofiaglobe.com/2026/01/20/r...
- Reposted by Matthias2024: can Europe defend itself ALONGSIDE America? 2025: can Europe defend itself WITHOUT America? 2026: can Europe defend itself AGAINST America?
- Reposted by MatthiasWas just thinking of how funny it will be when Trump learns that France actually has territory in South America.
- Reposted by MatthiasWhat happens when the formerly benign hegemon turns hostile? Other powers have options - but not all realist options are realistic. My new piece for Geopolitical Europe: geopoliticaleurope.substack.com/p/hegemonic-...
- Reposted by MatthiasNot the most important thing today, but given the fact that recent resolutions in the EU Parliament on Venezuela were carried by the EPP with all the far-right groups - now literally called the Venezuela majority - how the EU Parliament will take a position on Trump's Venezuela occupation.
- Mir ist gerade aufgefallen, dass ich beim Rosenkohl essen immer an @sasastanisic.bsky.social denken muss.
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- Breaking med From anesthesiologist to warlord. Soon on Netflix, AMC and Arte.
- Trump designates fentanyl a weapon of mass destruction ➡️ l.euronews.com/Smch
- Reposted by MatthiasSpot on. Moment of truth for Paris and Rome. Is France serious about strategic autonomy or is it just a vacuous talking point once Europe hits real trade-offs? And is Italy with Europe and Ukraine or Moscow and Washington?
- Reposted by MatthiasThe European Union has triggered Article 122 to indefinitely immobilise the assets of the Russian Central Bank, worth a whopping €210 billion. I explain what just happened and why this is such a big deal for Europeans. 🧵 Long thread.
- Why those countries specifically?
- “Austria, Hungary, Italy, and Poland are listed as countries the U.S. should “work more with…with the goal of pulling them away from the [European Union].”“ www.defenseone.com/policy/2025/...
- Reposted by MatthiasGreat data. I noticed in my data collection on the Council of the EU that the number of legislative act it passes per year keeps falling each legislative period since at least 2009. But this data implies that the regulations & directives individually get deeper.
- Reposted by MatthiasThat was a bit under the radar of international news these days, but couldn’t be taken for granted:
- Nice video about the protests in Bulgaria from TLDR News EU youtu.be/5YgS63UZENs?...
- Reposted by MatthiasPossibly the most self-destructive reaction towards the US antagonism against the EU is by national leaders offering national partnerships. This is exactly the kind of avenue for the US/Trump to split Europe and reign over smaller European countries.
- VdL- vs Venezuela- vs Maize-majority are great additions to the Brussels bubble vocabulary. Maybe we need to find other names? Centre (EPP, S&D, Greens, Renew) Blue fan group (EPP, ECR, PfE, ESN) limping horseshoe (Left, Greens, S&D + ECR, PfE, ESN)
- First exit poll from Bukarest Good margin for PNL (EPP) and PSD (PES)
- Reposted by MatthiasIt begins. 😬
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- “The piece treats Europe as a sort of other, one that is a model of what not to do,” he said, adding that it underscored that the United States was not isolationist, but rather “unilateralist.” www.nytimes.com/2025/12/05/w...
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- Perhaps the pendulum will swing back to the good old face-to-face mode 👀
- No Bucha-rest for the wicked. Election season is not over yet in the EU.
- Oh no, Mogherini and the College of Europe are corrupt too? www.politico.eu/article/belg...
- Reposted by MatthiasFor me this really brings home the US dominance of things. You’re moving between countries? You speak several languages?* What an odd idea! When in Europe it’s literally the norm. *yes I know in the US that should also be a thing with Spanish. Alas. bsky.app/profile/ulum...
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- Rolf Zuckowski > Mariah Carey index
- Reposted by MatthiasSo there’s a website called Deer Of St Nicholas which posts Christmas wish letters from Ukrainian children who had their childhood stolen by the war, anyone can pick a child and get them their present and it’s that time of the year again to achingly scroll it for hours again
- Quite interesting analysis, showing support for the euro tends to grow after adoption.
- Many Bulgarians are hesitant about giving up the Lev on 1 January. While mixed feelings are not uncommon in countries adopting the euro, survey data show that support significantly increases once people start using the new currency link.europa.eu/cWGVYq
- Reposted by MatthiasA reflection of the (party) politicisation of the EU - in previous budget fights, when the Parliament pushed against the Commission and/or Council, it was seen as an inter-instititional fight. Now, @politico.eu portrays it as "EPP vs EPP", "centre-right civil war", focusing squarely on the parties.
- “We’re watching Rwanda-level mass extermination of people who are trapped inside,” said Nathaniel Raymond, executive director of the research group, in comments to AFP news agency. “The level, speed and totality of violence in Darfur is unlike anything I’ve seen.” sudanwarmonitor.com/p/fall-of-el...
- Reposted by MatthiasWith all the caveats that the far right hasn't been weakened, only splintered in the Netherlands, it's still very good to see an election where liberal democracy is not on the line and a government with a pro-European outlook is back in sight
- Reposted by MatthiasAAPOR's report on the accuracy of 2024 election polls is now out. Polls did better than in 2024 and 2016, but had trouble reaching Trump voters in red areas, and slightly underestimated turnout and Trump support among 2020 non-voters. Avg bias of 2.7 pts. aapor.org/wp-content/u...
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- Reposted by MatthiasCatalan separatist party Junts breaks relations with Sánchez’s Socialists
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- “In the medium term, there could be a very good solution, because thanks to artificial intelligence, we will no longer need interpreters,” Merz said at a press conference where Sánchez reiterated his case to recognise the three languages. AI as the official EU language would be a new twist
- I propose that every financial year, the top 3 companies per country qualify for the ECB stock championship the next year.
- German Chancellor Friedrich Merz: “We need a kind of European stock exchange so that successful companies such as biotech firms from Germany do not have to go to the New York Stock Exchange.” Indeed! Europe needs 1 currency, 1 capital market & 1 dominant stock exchange! www.ft.com/content/040f...
- I am always surprised when people say that there is a consensus in political science on how to deal with right-wing parties. In my experience, there is rarely a consensus on anything in political science. There were even jokes in University on how 4 political scientist have 5 different opinions.
- One thing Germany might not understand is how France manages to hold snap elections within 20 to 40 days 👀
- Reposted by MatthiasHere is something on Czechia's elections and the implications for the EU from me:
- Reposted by MatthiasIf politics are going crazy in several European countries one after the other, I think it is time to go past blaming the failures of individual political actors (and there are quite a few, both in the UK and France) to looking at the systemic pressures our political systems are failing to deal with.
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- Everybody just one pun for the czech elections please.
- I liked politicos "czechs and balances" best so far though.
- Reposted by MatthiasThe Hertie School mourns the passing of Prof. Dr Dr h.c. Claus Offe, Professor Emeritus of Political Sociology, an extraordinary scholar, teacher and colleague. We extend our heartfelt condolences to his family, friends and all who had the privilege to know him.
- Reposted by MatthiasGood observation on a small windows of opportunity for EU politics. Two caveats though. First, in contrast 2027 is shaping up to be a decision year for European politics, with potentially France, Poland, Italy and Spain all going to the polls. Each could drive the rightward shift in EU politics.
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- Pop and internet culture gets more and more important to understand political movements. Will be hard to contextualise for historians to come. www.youtube.com/watch?v=P74f...
- Reposted by Matthiaswe should have never normalized filming strangers in public and posting them as content
- "Russia has already violated Estonia's airspace four times this year, which is unacceptable in itself. But today's incursion, involving three fighter jets entering our airspace, is unprecedentedly brutal," said Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna.
- Reposted by MatthiasWe are delighted to announce that the European Parliament's Bluesky family is expanding, with the arrival of accounts for each of the Parliament's Committees 🦋 Check out the full list below, and follow them for regular updates on Committee activity - votes, meetings, etc.!
- Reposted by MatthiasProud moment as we have opened the @europarl.europa.eu office in the heart of Kyiv today. From today onwards, Parliament’s voice will be directly on the ground. We are bringing Europe closer to the people of Ukraine 🇪🇺🇺🇦
- ...while the European Parliament can remove the European Commission from office with a vote of no confidence, unlike national parliaments, no new elections would be necessary. "Chasing someone out of office and having no consequences oneself, I think, is an imbalance," Merkel said.
- Does anyone know a good reason why there is no real EU single market for software? I am living in Belgium and can't access German apps in the app stores, can't use my German paypal to pay in the Belgian steam store. That seems all overly complicated.
- The Party of European Socialists will permanently exclude Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico’s Smer party.
- Reposted by MatthiasGerman Air Force just doubled their QRA capacity (jets ready to start at a moments notice) in Rostock, South Baltic Sea.
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- Hot take: For the SOTEU, the President of the Commission should address both the European Parliament AND the EUCO aka the heads of governments. They should all be in the same room.
