Key election can be seen as a choice for or against Europe

PREPARATIONS have begun this week for May's landmark European Parliament elections. The ballot is assuming much bigger importance this year in what may, in effect, be a referendum on the six-decade integration project with Emmanuel Macron depicting the contest as a choice for or against Europe.

This is because, presuming the United Kingdom leaves the European Union in March, the elections will be the first since a member state left the bloc, and eurosceptic parties across the continent are hoping for big gains. If this happens, there is a real possibility that anti-EU parties could win enough seats in the Parliament to significantly influence and potentially stymie legislation, rather than just rant about it as is often now the case.

The election also matters for the rest of the world as the EU remains an economic superpower with its collective GDP paralleling that of the United States, and remaining larger than that of China. It is also the world's biggest exporter, with the scores of nations for which Europe is their leading trade partner ranging from China in Asia to Brazil in South America.