Euractiv.com

As EU leaders prepare for what is likely to be a protracted period of negotiating a majority in the fragmented new European Parliament,  EURACTIV looks at the winners and losers of the European elections held in the 28 member states.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s sound victory in the EU elections confirmed the momentum of his party in Spain and positioned him as the leader of the European Socialists, as he seeks to grab an influential EU top job for Madrid.

Wales’ remain-supporting parties outstripped their Brexit-backing counterparts in Sunday’s (26 May) election results, prompting the leader of the principality’s nationalist party to declare it a “Remain nation”. Wales voted alongside England in 2016 to leave the EU.

Climate protection played a central role in the results of the European elections. But German Christian Democrats and Social Democrats admit to not having sufficiently appropriated the climate protection issue. EURACTIV Germany reports.

Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez will meet with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on Monday (27 May) and is expected to lobby for several socialist and social-democrat candidates for EU top jobs, as member states and political groups start jockeying for position.

The next President of Kazakhstan will have to oversee that there is no backsliding in economic, social and political reforms, and reassure international partners that the external policy of the country remains unchanged, writes Eli Hadzieva.

Extreme-right Flemish separatist party Vlaams Belang gained big in Belgium’s triple elections on Sunday (26 May), complicating efforts to form the next federal government as French-speaking Walloons voted for radically opposite parties on the left of the political spectrum.

Spain's Socialists won most votes in European and local elections on Sunday (26 May) in a series of ballots that boosted their ambitions to target a top EU job in Brussels but highlighted how deeply fragmented the political landscape is at home.

The Capitals brings you the latest news from across Europe, through on-the-ground reporting by EURACTIV’s media network.

The centre-right People's Party (ÖVP) of Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz is on course for gains in the European elections, with the far-right Freedom Party coming third, according to a media forecast published on Sunday (26 May).

Former central banker Gitanas Nauseda won Lithuania's presidential election on Sunday (26 May) after opponent Ingrida Simonyte conceded.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel's embattled coalition will hold crisis talks Monday (27 May) after a thumping at European polls that has reignited questions over its survival.

Romania's pro-European parties inflicted a serious defeat on Romania's ruling Social Democrats (PSD) in the European parliament elections Sunday (26 May), according to partial official results.

Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov’s GERB party (EPP-affiliated) won the European elections on Sunday (26 May), despite a number of scandals in which it was involved in recent months.

After just one year in government, the balance of power between Italy's two ruling parties has been turned around: Lega doubled its score from last year's 17.35% to 33.6%, while  the Five Star Movement crumbled from 32.68% to 16.70%.

The UK’s divisions over Brexit were spelt out in technicolor in the European elections on Sunday night (26 May) as Nigel Farage’s Brexit party comfortably topped the poll, and pro-Remain parties also made large gains.

Poland's national-conservative ruling Law and Justice party (PiS) came narrowly ahead of the centrist European Coalition in Sunday's European Parliament vote seen as a test before the parliamentary elections later this year.

The conservative European People's Party once again won the most seats in the European Parliament after EU elections on Sunday (26 May) but will face difficulties building a controlling majority as the Greens, the Liberals and the far-right posted big gains, reflecting growing political polarisation in the 28-country bloc.

The Greens from Bündnis90/Die Grünen are the big winners of the European elections in Germany. They nearly doubled their vote to finish second at 21%, ahead of the Social Democrats. Conservatives from the CDU/CSU also lost percentage points but managed to remain Germany’s strongest political force.

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has called on snap elections most probably due on 30 June following massive defeats in EU and local elections.