European elections in the Netherlands

On Thursday 6 June, the Netherlands was the first of the 27 countries of the European Union to vote. The Dutch alliance between the left and the ecologists came out on top with eight MEP seats out of the 31 in the Netherlands. But the Freedom party from  Geert Wilders  is the big winner, moving from 1 to 6 seats.

These results confirm the growing power of populists in Europe. Geert Wilders dreams of a grand alliance to change Europe from the inside. He has abandoned his idea of “Nexit”, a Dutch-style Brexit, and prefers to forge alliances with other European populists, to reproduce at European level what he is doing here in the Netherlands: national preference and the stigmatisation of foreigners.

For a long radio reportage about the European Elections in the Netherlands RFI reporter Julien Chavanne needs help to set up coverage and interviews with Geert Wilders from the Freedom Party, the new BBB (Farmers citizens Movement) party and at the Green Left / Social Democrat party, and to make a portrait of a Dutch farmer. During the elections night Julien visits the headquarters of the BBB. Features did research and organises interviews and coverage with some members of parliament and a dairy farmers couple.

For these RFI radio reportages Featurez did research, gave advise and did set up.