We are now closing this blog but you can read all our Europe coverage here.
Summary of the day
Politicians across Europe are preparing for this weekend’s elections.
Christel Schaldemose, lead candidate for the Danish Social Democrats, pointed to security, green policies and control over tech companies as top campaign issues in Denmark.
Henrik Dahl, lead candidate for Denmark’s Liberal Alliance, said Europe is facing an existential moment and that turnout in Denmark could be low.
Sigrid Friis, the lead candidate for Radikale Venstre – the Danish Social Liberal party – said that for her voters, climate and defence are priorities.
Riho Terras, the lead candidate for Estonia’s Isamaa, a member of the centre-right European People’s party, said all parties in the country “have only one main topic: security, the war in Ukraine and the ability of Europe to defend itself.”
Urmas Paet, the lead candidate for Estonia’s Reform party and current MEP, said security is top of mind for voters in his country. He also said the Renew Europe group “should find the ways how to keep all of our members.”
Marina Kaljurand, the lead candidate for Estonia’s Social Democratic party, said that when she’s out on the campaign trail “the number one” thing for voters is security and defence.
She also said that “the Social Democrats at the moment are the most serious green party in Estonia.”
Sandra Kalniete, a candidate for Latvia’s Unity party who has been a member of the European parliament since 2009, said in a phone interview that “security issues are the absolute priority.”
Andrius Kubilius, a member of the European parliament from Lithuania and a former prime minister, said “it’s very clear that the major concern of people is related to security and defence issues, and this is something different from what we were witnessing back in 2019, or even earlier, when issues like economy, like climate change, were prevailing.”
Asked about the issue of possible cooperation with more hard-right and eurosceptic parties, Kubilius differentiated between working together on issues such as aid to Ukraine and collaboration on other matters.
French police are investigating whether the placing of five full-sized coffins covered with the French tricolour at the Eiffel Tower at the weekend was another act of Russian interference.
