31% OF ORGANISATIONS HAVE BEEN MONITORING EU POLITICS

But most still unperturbed by rise of far right

Following the results of the European Parliament elections over the weekend, 31% of respondents say their organisations have been monitoring European Union politics and have been responding accordingly even before the election, the Airmic Big Question survey this week found.

Far right parties have surged in the elections, prompting French President Emmanuel Macron immediately to call snap parliamentary elections to counter the rise of the far right in France. His Renew party won less than half the seats won by the anti-immigration National Rally of Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardella in the European Parliament elections.

However, 63% said it will be business as usual for their organisations. Hoe-Yeong Loke, Head of Research, Airmic, said: “Traditionally, European Parliament elections have tended to attract protest votes, because some voters don’t regard them as important as national elections, which have a more direct impact on their lives. But seen together with the electoral trends in national elections in EU member states of late, we need to start thinking of elections as being interconnected and start preparing for them.”

The ”year of elections” was one of the key themes at Airmic’s annual conference in Edinburgh last week. BBC journalist Clive Myrie, who moderated the plenary panels at the conference, said in an interview with Airmic TV: “My biggest takeaway for businesses is to be prepared for all scenarios – and hope that whichever scenario does come to pass, you're prepared. And that removes uncertainty, and frankly, that’s the biggest risk for business.”

In another interview with Airmic TV, in Edinburgh, Sam Wilkin, Director of Political Risk Analytics, WTW, and Hoe-Yeong Loke spoke of the need for risk professionals to learn how the shifting political tides and evolving electoral processes influence global business risks, and how they can navigate these changes effectively.

If you would like to request an interview and or have any further questions, please let me know.

We will be sharing the results of the Airmic Big Question with the press weekly.

You can also find the results here.

Media contact: Leigh Anne Slade
Head of Media, Communications and Interest Groups, Airmic
Leigh-Anne.Slade@Airmic.com
07956 41 78 77