There may be a a greater focus on European issues than before in the European election campaign in France. However, the combined effects of the economic crisis, the low popularity of the EU, and the unpopularity of political leaders could crystallise a ‘protest" vote for both national and European leaders, and for the EU as a whole, explain Vivien Pertusot and Yann-Sven Rittelmeyer in this EPIN Commentary.

This paper is the fourth in a series of Commentaries by EPIN researchers, aimed at examining the European elections in May 2014 from an EU perspective and considering the outlook for the elections in various member states.