UK Independence Party

By Paul Taylor, Robin Emmott and Justyna Pawlak

Eurosceptic nationalists scored stunning victories in European Parliament elections in France and Britain on Sunday as critics of the European Union more than doubled their seats in a continent-wide protest vote against austerity and unemployment.

By Ian Wishart

Voters across the European Union give their verdict today on policy makers’ handling of the euro- area debt crisis in elections to the European Parliament that may shape the future of the 28-nation bloc.

Nigel Farage's UK Independence Party (UKIP) has delivered a blow to Westminster parties in Thursday's local elections, according to partial results.

Preliminary data suggests it will be able to drain power over local authorities controlled by both the ruling Conservatives and their partners from the Liberal Democrats.

Nearly 38 percent, or more than a third of British voters know neither of neither the upcoming European elections (May 22 in the UK) nor of the local polls on the same day.

A survey conducted by the Daily Mirror also shows that Nigel Farage's anti-immigration UKIP is set to win most MEP seats in the vote on Thursday.

Predictions that workers from Bulgaria and Romania would arrive en masse in the UK after the removal of remaining work restrictions in January appeared disproved by new statistics showing the total number working in the UK had actually fallen in the last three months.

Some 3000 fewer workers from Bulgaria and Romania are presently in the United Kingdom than in end-2013, the country's Office of National Statistics has revealed.

These numbers suggest a decrease compared to the period before lifting restrictions at the end of last year, when a seven-year EU transitional period for the two countries expired.

The anti-immigrant UK Independence Party (UKIP) has lambasted PM David Cameron over what it calls a pro-European policy "opening [the UK's] to Bulgarians and Romanians."

A UKIP statement quoted by the Bulgarian national Radio was in response to the Prime Minister's comments on Thursday.

Sxity-two percent of the EU voters are “not at all” or “not much” interested in the European Parliament elections in May, shows a survey of Ipsos-MORI.

It was conducted in April. A total of 8 833 people were polled in Belgium, Britain, Croatia, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain and Sweden.

Bulgaria and Romania are quite often paired up in European and regional powers' approach to the Balkans. They are said to be both wrapped in political, economic and social problems, but usually do not provoke a huge interest from EU politicians.

The anti-immigration UK Independence Party (UKIP) is favored to win the most votes in the European Elections according to a poll of YouGov agency.

Nigel Farage's UKIP leads with 29%, followed by the Labour Party 26% and the Conservative Party of PM David Cameron with 23%, according to the survey for The Sun, published on Sunday.