
Leaders of the centre-right European People’s Party (EPP) arrive in Brussels for talks ahead of the European Council summit. IMAGES
The first projection of the composition of the EU Parliament shows a majority for the mainstream conservative EPP group with 173 seats, followed by the Socialists and Democrats with 147 seats. Turnout EU-wide was estimated at 51 percent, the highest in 20 years, implying that more than 200 million citizens across the 28-nation bloc voted in a poll billed as a battle between populists and pro-European forces. IMAGES