LANGEOOG, Germany (AP) — Concerns about climate change have prompted mass protests across Europe for the past year and are expected to draw tens of thousands onto the streets again Friday.

For the first time, the issue is predicted to have a significant impact on this week's elections for the European Parliament.

A recent opinion poll in Germany showed that climate change has overtaken immigration as the topic that voters in the EU's most populous nation are most concerned about.

Germany's Green party stands to benefit. It is forecast to come second in Germany, ahead of the center-left Social Democrats, boosting the number of seats held by environmental parties in the EU assembly.