The Flemish socialist party, Vooruit, seeks to triple its seats in the European Parliament in the election on 9 June, according to the party's lead candidate Bruno Tobback.
Tobback is joining the incumbent MEP Kathleen Van Brempt, who aims for a fourth consecutive term in Strasbourg. Yilmaz Kurtal, a councillor from Genk, holds the third spot.
Vooruit retains its third-place position in the polls, well clear of far-right parties Vlaams Belang and N-VA. Following a high of 17%, the party’s popularity dipped below 14% due to the resignation of its leader, Conner Rousseau.
Current leader, Melissa Depraetere, identifies far-right extremism as the main threat to society, and calls for a "stronger Europe". She highlights that no single EU Member State can compete with China or the US.
The Flemish socialists are backing green investments to boost the continent’s economy, and also to reduce dependency on imported fossil fuels from rogue regimes.
They are also calling for European Central Bank (ECB) interventions and fiscal rules geared towards job creation.
Added to this, investments in a European defence industry remain their priority in line with Belgium’s NATO commitment to allocate 2% of GDP on defence spending.
