Over May 21- 26, all 28 member states of the European Union hosted European Parliament elections, allowing every adult EU citizen the opportunity to select who will represent them in the European Parliament, the only directly elected institution in EU’s structure framework.

This year’s election witnessed the highest voter turnout since the 1970s. At just over 50 percent, the Europeans are casting their votes to send a strong message to Brussels and Strasbourg to show that they care about where Europe is going and their shared future.

For the newly elected MEPs, they are going to have a tough job ahead with the US-China trade war is escalating, US pressure mounting on the EU to cut its trade deficit -- externally and internally -- and the the risks of a no-deal Brexit.

Results have shown massive gains for the pro-European Greens and Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe, while Eurosceptic parties also see gains in some countries. The coalition of the European People’s Party and Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats have lost its majority, which was crucial in pushing through most of the legislations in the past.

This means European politics is about to become more fragmented and will require more creative ways for consensus building and getting things done. At the same time, Europe is facing unprecedented challenges both internally and externally.

Internally, Theresa May last week announced that she will resign as the head of the Conservative Party and UK’s prime minister in early June. The future of Britain, Brexit and EU-UK relations are in great uncertainty, while conservatives are debating whether to adopt a no-deal Brexit as their policy as they choose their next leader.

With Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party scoring well and the pro-Remain Liberal Democrats finishing second, the European Parliament election is seen as a mini-referendum for Brexit in the UK, yet the extreme divisions shown in the election result will have a major impact on European Parliament decisions , especially as they are set to start deliberations on the next European budget (multi-annual financial framework) next March.

European and British members of parliament have a duty to the world not to let the Brexit fallout threaten global economic and political stability.

Externally, as the US-China trade frictions escalate, the MEPs will need to decide where the EU stands on a wide range of issues regarding globalization, free trade and WTO reform.

As the US embraces a more protectionist global policy, its pressures on the EU are also mounting.

The EU surplus in traded goods with the US expanded to 11.5 billion euros ($13 billion) in January, from 10.1 billion in January 2018.

US President Donald Trump has complained repeatedly about Europe’s trade surplus and has already imposed tariffs to curb imports of EU steel and aluminum, even further threatening to do the same for the much larger trade in cars and car parts.

In April, European and Chinese leaders issued a joint declaration stating their support for multilateralism and rules-based trade.

The newly elected MEPs will need to take the responsibility to carry out these commitments and defend the world against protectionism and narrow-minded egotism.

Climate change is another major challenge that must be addressed by the new MEPs and by the world urgently.

The major election gains for the Greens and the youth climate demonstrations across Europe have shown that the young generation will not allow politicians to stand idly by while carbon dioxide levels reached a record 415ppm in May for the first time.

The UN has warned repeatedly unless the world drastically increases its mitigation efforts, we are unlikely to meet the goals set in the Paris climate agreement.

Europe has traditionally been the champion of the effort against climate change. And its role will become ever more important as the US is set to formally leave the Paris Agreement in November 2020, four years after it announced its withdrawal.

As the saying goes, “We are the first generation to feel the effects of climate change, and the last that will be able to do anything about it.”

This European Parliament may also be one of the last few groups that have the great privilege as well as duty to lead the fight against climate change and defend the future of mankind.

During their visits to Europe, both Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang have stated their support and hope for a “united and prosperous Europe”. This is not just a talking point. A divided Europe has often been a breeding ground for trouble.

Twice in less than 50 years, the world experienced two world wars, costing nearly 100 million lives and close to destroying itself.

At the start of a united Europa was the vision of its founding fathers:, to find a way to prevent at all cost another similar catastrophe. The EU, therefore, is first and foremost, a peace project--an attempt to make wars between its countries impossible.

Even now it is playing vital roles in maintaining world peace in key regions.

The Balkans engulfed Europe in conflict for almost the entirety of the 20th century, but the desire of both countries to join the EU has become the prime factor preventing open warfare between Muslims and Slavs on the peninsula. The EU is also leveraging its influence to mitigate the aftermath of the US withdrawal from the Iranian nuclear deal and the reinstitution of US sanctions on Iran.

Today, the world is again at a crossroads.

To quote from A Tale of Two Cities, we are either heading towards the best of times, or the worst of times; an age of wisdom, or an age of foolishness; a season of light, or a season of darkness.

With so much talk of the clash of races and civilizations, a trade war, a nuclear crisis and the “new Cold War”, Europe’s position matters and it matters immensely. And it is our hope that EU’s new MEPs will not lose the vision of their founding fathers and work together to bring forth peace, hope and prosperity not just for Europe, but for all in the world.

The author is an assistant professor at Hunan University's School of Public Management and a visiting researcher at Tsinghua University's Belt and Road Research Institute.

The author contributed this article to China Watch exclusively. The views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of China Watch.

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