Dutch voters kick off a four-day election marathon across the 27 countries of the European Union, AFP reports.
These elections will be a "test" of how far to the right the next EU parliament can move.
The EU's 370 million voters are being urged to cast ballots at a time of deep geopolitical uncertainty for the bloc, two-and-a-half years after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
The majority of countries, including frontrunners France and Germany, will vote on June 9, but the opening contest in the Netherlands will provide a glimpse of the strength of the far right - whose predicted rise is the main theme of the election.
Geert Wilders' Freedom Party (PVV), the surprise winner of last November's national elections, is also expected to top the EU polls. Despite reneging on its Nexit referendum promise to leave the bloc, the PVV manifesto remains fiercely Eurosceptic.
The Netherlands is just one of a long list of countries where nationalist, far-right and other Eurosceptic forces are expected to come out ahead in the EU vote.
Polls suggest that the far right could get around a quarter of the 720 seats in the new parliament - enough to influence EU policy.
The results could also influence Brussels' approach to climate change, relations with the US and China, support for Ukraine, EU enlargement and adaptation to technological innovation and artificial intelligence.
The weighting of the newly created political groups will help EU leaders decide who should occupy the bloc's top institutional posts, including the European Commission.
Current Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen, a German polyglot, is seeking a second term and is considered the favourite, although diplomats warn that her win is not a certainty. | BGNES
