Bart Groot House
THE NETHERLANDS, RENEWING EUROPE
Why you should care: The combination of China and sensitive technologies is turning heads, and Dutch MEP Groothuis has mastered it like few others. Groothuis made headlines with revelations about the use of Chinese scanners and opinions on the export of chipmaking equipment to China. Groothuis has worked on several major technology files, such as a plan to increase the bloc’s chip production capacity and measures to strengthen cybersecurity. This gives Groothuis, who previously worked at the Dutch Ministry of Defense, a head start in areas that will only grow in importance, such as defense and cybersecurity.
Chances of being elected: Groothuis obtained second place on the list of the Dutch liberal party VVD (the party of outgoing Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte).
Jutta Paulus
GERMANY, FREE EUROPEAN-GREEN ALLIANCE
Why you should care: Some politicians are elected to the European Parliament and end up receiving the prize for laziest MEP. Others are close to workaholics. Paulus, a member of the German Greens, belongs to the second category. She has spent the last four years fighting tooth and nail for the Green Deal to exist – and retaining her ambition when conservative lawmakers began to challenge it. The 56-year-old has influenced and worked on a dozen key issues, pushing for higher targets to restore natural ecosystems, reduce pollution, tackle methane emissions from industries, as well as decarbonize aviation and maritime transport. And Paulus wants more. If re-elected, she will continue to defend the Green Deal, promote higher climate goals and resist conservatives’ call to abandon them all.
Chances of being elected: The German Greens could get a dozen seats, which would allow Paulus to be re-elected since she is ninth on the list.
Antonio Decaro
ITALY, SOCIALISTS AND DEMOCRATS
Why you should care: Decaro, second on the Democratic Party (PD) list for the European elections in southern Italy, has a difficult task: he is the outgoing mayor of Bari, a city in the Puglia region (the heel of the boot) plagued by organized crime and deindustrialization. But by all accounts, he did it well. In surveys, Decaro regularly ranks among the three most popular mayors in Italy.
The center-left politician offers another asset to a political party seeking to restore its image after the involvement of its members in the Qatargate scandal: he is considered tough on crime, so much so that since 2016, Decaro has had to live under police protection after receiving death threats. However, a recently discovered photograph showing him posing with the aunt and sister of a local crime boss may cast a shadow over his candidacy. Decaro defended himself by saying he did not know who they were at the time the photo was taken.
Politico
