ElectingChampionsIn2014.net

Every five years, EU citizens choose who represents them in the European Parliament, the directly-elected institution that defends their interests in the EU decision-making process.

Each member state has the right to elect a fixed number of Members of the European Parliament (MEPs). The allocation of seats is laid down in the European treaties on the basis of the principle of degressive proportionality: countries with a larger population have more seats than smaller countries, but the latter have more seats than strict proportionality would imply. For the 2014 election, according to the Lisbon Treaty, the number of MEPs ranges from six for Malta, Luxembourg, Cyprus and Estonia to 96 for Germany.

Voting practices vary across the EU, although there are some common elements, the most important of which is that some form of proportional representation should be used. This gives larger and smaller political parties the chance to send their representatives to the European Parliament in line with the number of votes they receive. However, each country is free to decide on many important aspects of the voting procedure. For example, some split their territory into regional electoral districts, while others have a single electoral district. Countries may also decide on the exact day of the elections according to their voting traditions. European elections usually span four days, with voting in the UK and the Netherlands taking place on Thursday and residents of most other countries casting their vote on Sunday.

Elections are contested by national political parties but once MEPs are elected, most opt to become part of transnational political groups. Most national parties are affiliated to a European-wide political family so one of the big questions on election night is which of these European groupings will exert greater influence on the decisions taken in the next legislative term. The European Council must take the election results into account when choosing a nominee for the post of President of the European Commission, the executive arm of the EU.

With the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty, the European Parliament has become a powerful co-legislator and plays a determining role in shaping European policies. A vote in the European elections is every citizen’s chance to influence the shape of the Parliament and the decisions it takes over its five-year mandate.

01/07/2014

25/06/2014 – Seven political groups have now been recognised as fulfilling the necessary criteria and will be starting their work at next week’s plenary session in Strasbourg where Parliament’s top posts will be decided by MEPs. Parliament rules foresee that political groups should have at least 25 MEPs from seven different member states. Read on to find out more about the political groups and their leaders.

Political groups play an important role in setting the Parliament’s agenda, the allocation of speaking time for debates as well as choosing the EP president, vice-presidents, committee chairs and the MEPs who should be charge of steering new legislative proposals through Parliament. Also, groups enjoy additional support.

Each group is provided with a secretariat to take care of its internal organisation. Members of the political groups appoint a chair or co-chairs that represent the group in theConference of Presidents.

These are the political groups for the 2014-2019 legislative term, in order of membership as of 24 June 2014:

Political group	Chair or co-chair	Number of members
Group of the European People’s Party (EPP)	Manfred Weber (Germany). This is his third term in the EP. In the last legislature he was a member of the constitutional affairs committee.	221
Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament (S&D)	Martin Schulz (Germany). He  has been an MEP for 20 years and served as president of the European Parliament from 2012 until June this year.	191
European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR)	Syed Kamall (UK). He joined the EP in 2005. In the previous term he was a member of the economy committee.	70
Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE)	Guy Verhofstadt (Belgium). The Belgian former prime minister chaired the group during the last term too.	67
European United Left/Nordic Green Left (GUE/NGL)	Gabriele Zimmer (Germany). It is her third term in the EP. She has chaired the group since 2012.	52
The Greens/European Free Alliances (Greens/EFA)	Philippe Lamberts (Belgium) and Rebecca Harms (Germany) were elected co-chairs. Lamberts succeeds Daniel Cohn-Bendit (France). Harms already co-chaired in the last term.	50
Europe of Freedom and Direct Democracy (EFD)	Nigel Farage (UK) and David Borrelli (Italy). Mr Farage has been an MEP since 1999 and already co-chaired the political group in the last term. Mr Borrelli served as a city councillor in Treviso. This is his first term in Parliament.	48

 01/07/2014

01/07/2014 – MEPs re-elected Martin Schulz as President of the European Parliament on Tuesday morning for another two and a half year term. The 58-year old German MEP will lead Parliament until January 2017. He won 409 out of 612 valid votes cast in the first ballot.

Mr Schulz is the first President in the history of the European Parliament to be re-elected for a second two and a half year term.

In a brief address to the European Parliament in Strasbourg immediately after the vote, Mr Schulz thanked for MEPs for their confidence in him. “It’s an extraordinary honour to be the first re-elected President of the European Parliament. I will take my duty very seriously, because we are heart of the European democracy, keeping the task of passing legislation and overseeing its enforcement. An overwhelming majority of this house drew the conclusion that the leading candidate in the European election should become the President of European Commission, therefore a German word, Spitzenkandidat, has entered into several other European languages”.

Mr Schulz also emphasized that MEPs should “demand that people who trade with the EU should respect rule of law, not rule of the strongest. If the EU protects the people, we will win back their trust, irrespective of their origin or gender. The rule of respect and human dignity should guide everything we do and I know an overwhelming majority will share this view. Let us work and have constructive debate!”.

 01/07/2014

25/06/2014 – Gabriele Zimmer, a German member of Die Linke party, has been re-elected as the chair of the European United Left / Nordic Green Left group in the European Parliament. Let’s mention also that Ms Zimmer took EAPN’s pledge committing to EAPN’s manifesto on the fight against poverty, exclusion and inequalities! 

She already held the office in the previous legislative term from March 2012 onwards, when she replaced Lothar Bisky, a fellow German member of Die Linke party. Watch the video interview to find out more about her group’s political course and the appointment of the Commission president. 

 03/06/2014

The European Anti-Poverty Network (EAPN) celebrates its campaign Electing Champions for a Social Europe as a success, with over 10% of the newly elected MEPs committed to fighting poverty, social exclusion, inequChampions for a Social Europe by taking the pledge to defend and push for 1) a Social Pact for a Social Europe 2) An effective EU Strategy to fight poverty, social exclusion, inequalities and discrimination 3) Strengthened democracy and civil-society participation 4) An annual Hearing with People experiencing poverty in the European Parliament. EAPN welcomes these results as a great >success, in a context of low turn-out and rise in extreme-right and anti-democratic parties.

“We are very proud of this campaign’s results, which give us hope, in a rather pessimistic context of low turn-out and rise in extreme-right, anti-democratic and euro-skeptical parties. With 10% of all MEPs committed for working against poverty, exclusion, inequalities and discrimination, this is a very positive step forward”, said Sergio Aires, President of EAPN.

“The low turn-out and rise in extreme-right parties are worrying trends though not surprising. We’ve been defending a clear shift in EU politics for several years now, and little has happened. Policies are still prioritizing macro-economic goals and austerity measures, regardless of their consequences for people, including rising poverty and inequality rates, with civil-society kept away from most decision-making processes. That attitude and the loss of democracy and transparency, is the most worrying, not to say dangerous, thing happening. EU leaders have been given, once again, a strong signal that they have to restore trust and humanity, democracy, solidarity and dignity to the EU, in fact its founding principles. If they don’t recognize this and act accordingly, we are afraid democracy will not survive”, Sergio Aires added.

82 out of 751 MEPs, i.e. over 10%, have taken EAPN’s pledge (that number might increase once the list of newly elected MEPs from Bulgaria and Italy has been confirmed).

27 MEPs are affiliated to S&D Group; 19 to Greens/EFA; 14 to GUE/NGL; 12 to EPP; 3 to ALDE; 5 are members of national political parties not affiliated to any EP Group; 2 are independent candidates.

The European Anti-Poverty Network launched the Electing Champions for a Social Europecampaign around the European elections, in a context of dreadful increases in poverty, social exclusion and inequality rates, and policies focused on austerity and macro-economic performances while dismantling the EU welfare states. Despite the EU target on poverty set by the Europe 2020 Strategy to lift 20 million people out of poverty by 2020, statistics show the following increases in poverty rates:

Between 2010 and 2011, the number of people at-risk-of-poverty or social exclusion in the EU increased by 3.7 million (+0.7%), reaching the number of 121.2 million people in 2011 (24.3 % of the entire population). In 2012, 124.5 million people (24.8 %) at risk of poverty or social exclusion.

2012 124.5 million people. Since 2010, 6 million more people are living in or at risk of poverty in the EU.

 22/05/2014

Tiina Sandberg,  candidate to the European elections from Communist Party of Finland (SKP), not affiliated to any group in the EP, has taken our pledge! #electingchampions #EP2014

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 22/05/2014

Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh and Toni Giugliano, both candidates for Scottish National Party, affiliated to Greens/EFA, ahve taken our pledge! #electingchampions #EP2014

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 22/05/2014

Isabella Cirelli and Domenico Gattuso, Italian candidates for European Parliament Elections from The Other Europe with Tsipras party, affiliated to GUE/NGL Group in the EP, have taken our pledge #electingchampions #EP2014

More Background on ElectingChampionsIn2014.net

 

ElectingChampionsIn2014.net is a political campaign website associated with a pan-European advocacy initiative conducted during the lead-up to the 2014 European Parliament elections. The site was created to support the campaign “Electing Champions for a Social Europe,” an effort led by the European Anti-Poverty Network (EAPN) and its partners to encourage candidates for the European Parliament to commit publicly to policies aimed at combating poverty, social exclusion, discrimination, and widening social inequalities across Europe.

Although the campaign concluded following the 2014 elections, the website remains significant as a digital archive documenting the strategies, messages, and organizing efforts of one of Europe’s most prominent anti-poverty coalitions. It represents a moment in European political history when civil-society organizations sought to influence the direction of European Union policy amid economic austerity, political polarization, and rising concern about inequality across the continent.

The site’s content provides insight into how advocacy networks mobilized across national borders, coordinated messaging among dozens of organizations, and attempted to shape election debates by securing commitments from candidates and Members of the European Parliament (MEPs). For historians of European politics, social policy advocates, and researchers studying digital political campaigning, ElectingChampionsIn2014.net offers a valuable record of civil-society engagement in the EU’s democratic process.

Historical Context: Europe After the Financial Crisis

To understand the purpose of ElectingChampionsIn2014.net, it is important to examine the political and economic climate in Europe in the early 2010s. Following the 2008 global financial crisis and the subsequent European sovereign debt crisis, many European governments implemented austerity policies aimed at reducing deficits and stabilizing public finances. These policies often involved cuts to social programs, public services, and welfare benefits.

As austerity measures spread across the European Union, many advocacy organizations warned that the policies were increasing poverty and social exclusion. Reports from Eurostat and other European institutions indicated that millions of people across the EU were at risk of poverty or social marginalization during this period.

Civil-society groups began organizing coordinated responses. Among the most active networks was the European Anti-Poverty Network, which had long advocated for stronger social protections and inclusive economic policies within the European Union.

The 2014 European Parliament elections offered an opportunity for these organizations to push social issues back onto the political agenda. Campaigns like Electing Champions for a Social Europe sought to ensure that candidates addressed questions of inequality, poverty reduction, and democratic participation as part of the electoral debate.

The European Anti-Poverty Network

The driving force behind the campaign and the website was the European Anti-Poverty Network, widely known as EAPN. Founded in 1990, the organization is one of the largest networks of anti-poverty organizations operating at the European level. It brings together national, regional, and local groups working on issues related to poverty, social justice, and inclusion.

EAPN includes dozens of member networks from across Europe as well as numerous European-level organizations. These groups represent charities, grassroots movements, research organizations, and advocacy groups that focus on supporting vulnerable populations.

The network works closely with European institutions including the European Commission, the European Parliament, and the Council of Europe. It also collaborates with other civil-society coalitions to promote policies addressing economic inequality, social protection, employment rights, and inclusive governance.

ElectingChampionsIn2014.net served as one of the digital tools used by EAPN to coordinate and publicize its campaign activities during the 2013–2014 election cycle.

Goals of the “Electing Champions for a Social Europe” Campaign

The campaign promoted several central policy goals designed to influence the priorities of the next European Parliament.

One of the primary objectives was the creation of a Social Pact for a Social Europe, which would emphasize social rights and economic justice as key pillars of European integration. Advocates argued that European policy should balance economic competitiveness with strong social protections.

Another goal was the development of a comprehensive European strategy to combat poverty and social exclusion. Campaign organizers believed that existing EU policies addressing poverty were insufficient and required stronger commitments from policymakers.

The campaign also called for greater civil-society participation in EU decision-making. Activists argued that people affected by poverty should have a direct voice in shaping policies that impact their lives.

Finally, the campaign proposed the creation of annual hearings in the European Parliament involving people experiencing poverty. The goal of these hearings would be to ensure that policymakers remained connected to the real-world consequences of social policy decisions.

ElectingChampionsIn2014.net presented these goals clearly and encouraged political candidates to publicly endorse them.

The Pledge System for Political Candidates

A central feature of the campaign was the pledge system promoted on the website. Candidates running for the European Parliament were invited to sign a pledge committing themselves to the campaign’s objectives.

The pledge served several purposes.

First, it created a public record of which candidates supported stronger anti-poverty policies. This transparency allowed voters and advocacy organizations to track commitments made during the election campaign.

Second, the pledge system created pressure on candidates to address social policy issues. If some candidates signed the pledge while others declined, voters could compare positions and evaluate which candidates prioritized social justice.

Third, the system helped build a network of supportive policymakers within the European Parliament. Once elected, these representatives could collaborate with civil-society groups to promote policy initiatives aligned with the campaign’s goals.

The pledge could be downloaded from the website and returned to the campaign organizers. This simple mechanism enabled participation from candidates across multiple countries and political parties.

Participation Across the European Union

One of the most notable aspects of the campaign was its broad geographic reach. The European Anti-Poverty Network operates through national member organizations in many European countries, and these groups played an active role in promoting the campaign locally.

In countries such as Belgium, for example, national anti-poverty networks coordinated their own election manifestos and advocacy initiatives alongside the broader European campaign. These national campaigns addressed local political contexts while supporting the overarching goals of the Electing Champions initiative.

Because European Parliament elections involve candidates from dozens of countries, the campaign required coordination across multiple languages, political systems, and electoral traditions. The website served as a central hub where information about the campaign could be shared across these diverse networks.

Results and Impact of the Campaign

The campaign achieved measurable results during the 2014 European Parliament elections.

According to campaign organizers, more than 80 Members of the European Parliament, representing over ten percent of the newly elected body, signed the pledge supporting the campaign’s objectives. These members came from several different political groups within the Parliament.

Among those who supported the campaign were representatives from major parliamentary groups such as the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats, the Greens/European Free Alliance, and the European United Left/Nordic Green Left. Some members from other groups also expressed support for elements of the campaign’s agenda.

For advocacy organizations, securing commitments from such a significant number of elected representatives was considered an important success. It demonstrated that social policy concerns remained influential within European politics despite the dominance of economic debates during the austerity period.

The Website’s Content and Structure

ElectingChampionsIn2014.net functioned primarily as an informational campaign website. Visitors could find several categories of content designed to inform and mobilize supporters.

The site featured explanations of how European Parliament elections work, helping visitors understand the political institutions and processes involved in EU decision-making. This educational component was important because European elections often receive less public attention than national elections.

Another section presented the campaign’s manifesto and policy priorities. These documents outlined the specific changes that organizers wanted to see implemented at the European level.

The website also hosted blog posts and updates related to the election campaign and developments within the European Parliament. These posts provided commentary on political events and highlighted candidates who had signed the campaign pledge.

By combining informational content with advocacy messaging, the site aimed to engage both political insiders and ordinary citizens interested in social policy issues.

The European Parliament and the 2014 Elections

The campaign coincided with the 2014 European Parliament elections, which were held across the European Union between May 22 and May 25, 2014.

European Parliament elections occur every five years and determine the composition of one of the EU’s key legislative institutions. Members of the European Parliament are directly elected by citizens of EU member states.

The Parliament plays a significant role in shaping European legislation, approving the EU budget, and overseeing the European Commission. Because of these powers, the election results can influence the direction of European policy for years.

The 2014 elections took place at a time when the EU faced several political challenges, including economic recovery, debates over austerity policies, and rising support for populist and eurosceptic political movements.

Campaigns like Electing Champions for a Social Europe sought to ensure that social justice concerns remained part of the political conversation during this period.

Political Developments After the Election

Following the 2014 election, the European Parliament organized itself into several political groups representing different ideological perspectives.

These groups included major center-right, center-left, liberal, green, and left-wing alliances. Each group played an important role in shaping parliamentary debates and influencing legislative priorities.

Leadership positions within the Parliament, including the President of the European Parliament, were also determined during the early weeks of the new parliamentary term. These leadership decisions helped determine how the institution would operate during the five-year legislative cycle.

For campaign organizers, the formation of the new Parliament represented an opportunity to engage with newly elected representatives who had pledged support for anti-poverty initiatives.

Media Coverage and Public Reception

The Electing Champions campaign received attention from civil-society networks, social policy researchers, and advocacy organizations across Europe.

Media coverage often focused on the campaign’s attempt to counterbalance economic austerity debates with discussions about poverty and inequality. Some commentators viewed the campaign as an important example of civil-society engagement in European democracy.

Others emphasized the importance of connecting EU policymaking with the lived experiences of citizens facing poverty or social exclusion. By encouraging direct dialogue between policymakers and affected communities, the campaign aimed to strengthen democratic participation.

Although the campaign did not dominate mainstream election coverage, it contributed to broader discussions about the social dimension of European integration.

Digital Advocacy and the Role of Campaign Websites

ElectingChampionsIn2014.net also reflects broader trends in political communication during the early 2010s.

Advocacy organizations increasingly relied on dedicated campaign websites, social media platforms, and online petitions to mobilize supporters and coordinate activities across national borders. These digital tools made it easier for organizations to reach large audiences and build transnational networks of activists.

In the case of the Electing Champions campaign, the website served as a central hub connecting national advocacy groups, European policymakers, and members of the public.

The site provided downloadable resources, campaign updates, and information about the pledge initiative. This structure allowed participants across different countries to access the same information and coordinate their efforts.

Cultural and Social Significance

The broader significance of ElectingChampionsIn2014.net lies in its representation of civil-society activism within the European Union.

The EU is often criticized for being distant from ordinary citizens, with decision-making processes that can appear complex or opaque. Campaigns like Electing Champions sought to bridge this gap by bringing grassroots concerns directly into the political arena.

By focusing on poverty, inequality, and social exclusion, the campaign also highlighted issues that affect millions of Europeans but sometimes receive less attention in political debates dominated by economic indicators.

The campaign’s emphasis on dignity, solidarity, and social rights reflects a long tradition of European social policy that emphasizes the role of government in protecting vulnerable populations.

Legacy of the Campaign

Although the Electing Champions campaign concluded after the 2014 elections, its legacy continues in several ways.

First, it demonstrated the ability of civil-society networks to influence political discourse at the European level. By mobilizing organizations across multiple countries, the campaign created a collective voice advocating for stronger social policies.

Second, the campaign helped strengthen relationships between policymakers and advocacy organizations working on poverty and social exclusion. These relationships can play an important role in shaping future policy debates.

Finally, the archived website remains a useful historical resource documenting how social advocacy groups engaged with European elections during a period of significant political and economic change.

 

ElectingChampionsIn2014.net stands as a digital artifact of an ambitious pan-European campaign aimed at shaping the political agenda during the 2014 European Parliament elections. Created as part of the “Electing Champions for a Social Europe” initiative led by the European Anti-Poverty Network, the website played an important role in mobilizing civil-society organizations, informing voters, and encouraging political candidates to commit to policies addressing poverty and inequality.

Through its pledge system, manifesto documents, and educational content, the site helped bring social justice issues into the European electoral debate at a time when economic austerity dominated political discussions. The campaign’s success in securing commitments from a significant number of Members of the European Parliament demonstrated that civil-society advocacy can have tangible political impact.

Today the website serves primarily as a historical archive, offering insight into the strategies used by advocacy networks to influence European politics. For researchers, historians, and policymakers interested in the intersection of civil society and democratic governance within the European Union, ElectingChampionsIn2014.net remains an informative and revealing resource.

ElectingChampionsIn2014.net