Both the CDU/CSU and SPD suffered major losses, while the Greens became the second largest party in a national-level election for the first time in German history.

The 2019 European Parliament election was first national election to be held in Germany since the 2017 federal election, in which Chancellor Angela Merkel's ruling coalition between the Christian Democrats and Social Democrats suffered major losses, while the right-wing, Eurosceptic party Alternative for Germany (AfD) entered parliament in third place.

In 2018, the Greens and the AfD made large gains in state elections in Bavaria and Hesse, with the Greens moving into second place in each, whilst the Christian Democrats and Social Democrats each suffered 10+ point swings.

Since the 2014 European Parliament election, Germany does not have a formal threshold of the vote share required in order for a party to win an EP seat.

This has allowed a number of smaller parties to gain representation, since they only have to reach about 0.5% of the vote share needed to get their first seat with the Webster/Sainte-Laguë method.