A QUICK LOOK AT THE EPP AND WHERE IT STANDS IN KEY POLICY AREAS

As of 30 April, the European People's Party is just 5 seats ahead of the S& D group with a total of 213 seats (28% of total votes) against 208 seats for the S& D (Socialists).

Here below is where the EPP stands regarding key policy areas:

Institutional Affairs: Enforcing the subsidiarity principle and providing a more democratic Europe.

Economic, Financial Affairs and Taxation: Keeping the Euroo as an instrument of stability and competitiveness; ensuring that all banks in Europe follow the same rules; seeking a better global regulatory framework for financial markets; creating conditions that favour SMEs and entrepreneurs e.g. relating to R&D funding, private investment, and more accessible lending; enhancing the principles of freedom and solidarity for a functional social market economy.

Justice and Home Affairs: Reinforcing FRONTEX; enhancing cooperation with third countries in order to prevent illegal immigration; reinforcing citizens' privacy rights, protecting personal rights.

Energy and Transport: Supporting investment in low carbon technologies and renewable energy; preserving EU industrial competitiveness through low energy prices; better use of energy sources to tackle climate change.

Innovation and Research: Striving for sutainable and targeted investment.

Telecoms and Information Society, Education, Sport, Audiovisual: Investing in research and technology which leads to new digital services; investing in education.

Foreign Policies, Defence and Trade: Promoting peace and stability; boosting Europe's Foreign, Security and Defence capabilities- enhancing EU's ability to act in the world; being more prudent about EU enlargement; spreading democracy and the rule of law in the EU's immediate neighborhhod; remaining committed to supporting fragile democracies in Eastern Europe; developing a vision and proposing a new strategy for the Southern Mediterranean countries; building a trusted transatlantic partnership.