Newly-elected MEPs Balas and Urtasun challenge Sajjad Karim's vision of a leaner, fitter Europe and we gain a flavour of the Groups' views on the Commission presidency race.

Forum: Hurtling towards a two-speed Europe?

Hello everybody and welcome  to this special post-EU election Forum

with Euranet plus,  the European radio network.

Good afternoon Laeticia.  - Hello Caroline.

Here in the European Parliament  and in the media, since the elections,

all focus is on the question,  are we seeing a political crisis in Europe?

And tough negotiations go on to decide  the future European Commission President.

There are two opposing visions of Europe,  and the question is

as to whether the EU should be reformed.

So the question is:  more or less Europe?

Before launching the debate,  I'd like to briefly introduce our three guests,

all MEPS,  next to me we have Guillaume Balas,

newly-elected Member  of the Socialists and Democrats.

Facing Mr Balas we have Sajjad Karim.  Hello, you are a British MEP

and the Group's candidate  for the presidency of the Parliament.

And Ernest Urtasun,  you are a new Spanish MEP,

Welcome everyone,  let's go straight to the topic at hand.

The European People's Party  won the elections, followed by the Socialists

and the Conservative Group is establishing  a position with the leading group.

How do you explain these results  Mr Balas?

The situation today is that,  yes the EPP won the elections,

but they also saw  the number of MEPs fall.

The Socialists and Democrat  results were stable.

However, there was an explosion  of eurosceptic votes,

or even anti-Europe and nationalist votes.

These are the circumstances now,  we must respond to this crisis.

Europe is in crisis,  we know it's in serious economic crisis,

and now it is also in a political crisis  and we must emerge from this discussion.

Mr Karim, indeed in your Group  there are a number of eurosceptic parties,

including a plainly anti-euro  German party.

Has your Group become  the umbrella Group for the dissatisfied,

No, I think it's abundantly clear,  if one examines the results

of these EU parliamentary elections  from all Member States,

the people of Europe  have sent a very clear message,

they are deeply unhappy about the way  in which the EU has been functioning

and the way in which we, it seems,  are going to continue to function.

They are seeking fundamental reforms  and fundamental changes

actually take the initiative  to steer those changes through,

I am afraid in 5 years from now,  when we go back to the electorate,

we will be in a much worse position  than we were even at this stage.

There is no choice  but to react to the message

sent out by the electorate and to bring about  those fundamental reforms.

My Group, the European Conservatives  and Reformists Group,

is completely committed to ensuring  that we react to what the people have said

and we've put forward reforms  on that basis.

So it is constructive,  but critical at the same time.

There was repeated emphasis  on democracy

and the fact that these elections  would be different this time.

And yet, in the end,  Europe is suffering an identity crisis,

this is issue covered in this short report  by Joanna Gill, let's watch.

For the last 5 years, there's been  one word that defined Europe in the media.

Since 2008,  the economic and financial crisis

has rocked the foundations of the EU,  exposing the shortcomings in the eurozone.

MEPs voted through various measures  to ensure the bloc remains on an even keel

unemployment and bailouts  is causing strife in Brussels.

After elections in which eurosceptic parties  triumphed in France, the UK and Greece,

EU leaders were left  to do some soul searching.

Brussels has got too big, too bossy,  too interfering.

it should be nation-states wherever  possible, Europe only where necessary.

My role here is to change the direction  of Europe, with much greater impetus

because if in a few years time,  Europe has not met expectations,

there will be more votes in France,  as well as elsewhere, against Europe.

Opposing demands are making it hard to  find the right person to run the Commission.

The battle over  the Jean-Claude Juncker candidacy

has pitted the Parliament  against EU leaders

who demand the electoral promise  over Juncker's entitlement be scrapped,

putting the German Chancellor  in a difficult position.

I have made clear  in the German Bundestag

and yet we have to solve many questions.

From a radical reform  to mild reorganisation,

Europe is seeking to reconnect with voters  and confirm its democratic legitimacy.

But what route should Europe take,  can the EP flex its muscles

So, reform the European Union,  does this mean a two-speed Europe?

With eurozone Members  and then the others, including the UK,

I think that as far as possible,  it is important move forward together as one

but we must not fear a two-speed Europe.

I think that the number one reform  the EU must make is democratic reform.

At the moment, as we saw clearly  in our constituencies,

the chasm between what happens  in Brussels and citizens is huge,

the Parliament should initiate discussion  on Treaty reform.

does not reflect citizens'  democratic demands.

This is something that must be addressed,  alongside tackling the economic crisis

which, in my opinion,  has been catastrophic in recent years.

To come back to the question  of a two-speed Europe,

what would that mean:  two Parliaments, two budgets,

what do you think?  -There's a sort of free-for-all