The 2024 European parliament elections in the Netherlands A bit less second order, or not?

The European Parliament elections of 2024 were held over four consecutive days within member states. The Netherlands was the only country to have elections on the first day (Thursday the 6th of June), so the exit polls attracted a lot of interest internationally, especially as earlier polls had predicted a substantial surge for the far right across Europe. The EP elections in the Netherlands were held seven months after the Dutch national elections that ended in a major victory for the far right. Consequently, the Netherlands were seen to be a test case with regard to the likelihood of a far-right surge, which was predicted by opinion polls. Compared to the EP-elections of 2019, Dutch far-right parties did indeed do better. However, pro-EU parties won approximately two-thirds of the seats in Parliament, so the election result was met with some relief by EU supporters. This brief report reflects on the context of the elections, as well as its results.