Richard Golian

1995-born. Charles University alum. Head of Performance at Mixit. 10+ years in marketing and data.

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Richard Golian

Article

Volt Europa before the 2019 elections

New European party
Richard Golian
Richard Golian · 4 991 reads
Hi, I am Richard. On this blog, I share thoughts, personal stories, findings and what I am working on. I hope this article brings you some value.

A truly pan‑European political party? One programme for all of Europe, individual membership, shared funding and a single headquarters?

How to make European Parliament elections clearer and more democratic? One of the questions that stood at the birth of Volt Europa. In Slovakia the movement remains largely unknown; in France its representatives appear on national television.

Its representatives are running in this year’s European Parliament elections. But we cannot yet expect a major victory; the movement has very little recognition across Europe. Perhaps in five or ten years we will hear more of it, depending on their activities.

They come with a change in how politics is conducted within the European Union. Paradoxically, they criticise what Eurosceptics also focus on, the so‑called democratic deficit of the EU.

That is why they want to create the first pan‑European political party, and they enter this year’s European elections with a single programme in several member states. The opposite of what we have seen so far. A large number of parties and programmes. If we imagine five parties per member state, 5 x 28 programmes is really a lot. Then the question appears: what difference can a handful of MEPs from a small country really make?

Want to know more about Volt Europa? Read: Why am I a Member of Volt Europa? Real Positive Change, and an Innovative Approach

Summary

One programme across the entire continent. 140 conflicting party programmes create voter confusion. Volt proposes a single coherent alternative. For the 2019 European Parliament elections, the primary goal was introducing the concept. The experiment continues.

Common questions on this article's topic

What is Volt Europa?
Volt Europa is a pan-European political movement founded in 2017 that operates with a single common programme across the entire continent. Unlike traditional parties that exist only within national borders, Volt uses one membership, one funding model, and a shared organisational structure. Volt contested the 2019 European Parliament elections in eight member states with a single shared programme; this article was written in March 2019, before the vote took place.
How does Volt Europa differ from traditional European parties?
Traditional parties in EU elections each present their own national programme, resulting in dozens of different and often conflicting platforms across member states. As described in the article, voters face roughly 140 different party programmes across the EU, making it difficult to know what difference a handful of MEPs from a small country can make. Volt proposes a single coherent alternative: one programme for the entire continent.
What is the EU democratic deficit and how does Volt address it?
The democratic deficit refers to the perception that EU institutions lack sufficient democratic accountability and citizen participation. In the article, Volt is described as criticising the same issues Eurosceptics raise, but from the opposite direction. Rather than withdrawing from European integration, Volt advocates for making EU elections more democratic: enabling citizens to vote for candidates from any member state, giving the European Parliament the power to propose laws, and electing European leaders through a transparent process.
Can a pan-European party actually work?
EU law does not permit a single legal entity to run across all member states, so Volt operates through nationally registered parties united under one programme and leadership structure. Despite this legal complexity, by 2019 Volt had already built a presence in multiple countries across Europe. In the article, the movement is described as still young and unlikely to achieve a major victory immediately, but as a long-term project that could grow significantly over five to ten years.
Is Volt Europa pro-EU or anti-EU?
Volt is explicitly pro-European, advocating for deeper integration and a more united continent. However, it distinguishes itself from uncritical pro-EU positions by actively addressing structural problems within the EU, particularly the democratic deficit and the lack of citizen engagement. In the article, this is presented as a paradox: Volt criticises what Eurosceptics also focus on, but proposes more democracy rather than less Europe.
Why do not most people care about European elections?
The reasons are structural: citizens cannot directly choose European leaders through these elections, they do not vote on a single ambitious programme, and the European Parliament cannot even propose new laws. The result is a system that feels distant and incomprehensible. Volt's solution is to make European elections function more like national ones, with clear leaders, a unified programme, and real legislative power for elected representatives.
Richard Golian

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