ABSTRACT
Contributions to the volume have shed light on where the 2019 European Parliament (EP) elections stand in the context of the second-order debate as well as the implications of the result for the future of EU policy-making and European integration. This concluding chapter provides a synthetic review of their findings. On this basis, it is argued that the 2019 EP elections show clear signs of emerging first-orderness, though still clearly falling within the second-order mould. Moreover, for the next five years, in spite of increased fragmentation and Brexit, the European Parliament is likely to decide matters in a broadly centrist pro-integrationist direction. The chapter also reflects on the state of the Spitzenkandidaten system and its prospects for Europeanizing the 2024 EP elections.
