Reasons to vote

The European Parliament is a “fundamental” Community institution, where “important decisions regarding citizens’ lives are taken”. Jaume Duch, from Spain, is the director of the press service and spokesperson of the Euro-Assembly. Given the present moment, his office in Brussels is a crossroads of ideas, people and initiatives. In his capacities, he is directly involved in the upcoming elections of June 4-7 for the renewal of the European Parliament. He explained to Gianni Borsa, SIR Europe, correspondent in Brussels, the strategy aimed at bringing to the polls 375 million citizens with right to vote across EU-27.In view of June’s elections, the European Parliament devised a public-awareness campaign. What are the key messages? “For the first time ever, the European Parliament launched a pan-European institutional campaign designed to inform citizens on the Assembly’s crucial role within the decisional mechanism of the EU. The message of the campaign is that everyone has the possibility to choose between different political options and that these choices directly affect our every-day lives. Issues like security, migration, gender equality, consumer rights, fall within the competence of the Euro-Parliament. In practical terms, as compared to the past, when emphasis was placed on the right/duty to vote, this campaign is focused on the personal interest to vote”.The information campaign adopted the same communication media (images, slogans, tools) for all Member States. Is it meant to pass the message of “United Europe?” “The campaign is the same throughout Europe since the Assembly is the same. In fact, it is based on a communication strategy that adopts the same visual tools, slogans and themes throughout all Countries”. Is it possible to express these messages according to the cultural and social environments of the different Member States? “It certainly is. The campaign is under way in almost all the nations. Although adjustments can certainly be made at national level. For example, it’s possible to involve renowned personalities. This would give greater emphasis and popularity to the message that is being conveyed: ‘vote, since your vote has an impact on the future of Europe’. The themes of the institutional campaign can be adjusted to national contexts . The central themes, that have become the campaign’s “front cover”, vary from one country to the next. Here we developed ten themes (that include consumer protection, work – family life balance, financial market regulation, security – ed.’s note) which fall within the Parliament’s competences, while hot or important issues are selected at local level”. What role can be played by the “decentralized” Parliament offices of each Member State?“Member States’ European Parliament information offices played a significant role in adapting the central campaign at local level. They helped identify relevant themes for the population of each Country and developed a series of complementary activities. Some opted for web communication, others installed information screens in train stations, others advertised over the radio or with spot announcements in the underground… Maxi-posters, three-dimensional staffs and newspaper advertisements have also been used to attract the voters’ attention”. How can the outgoing MEPs and the new candidates encourage people to go to the polls? “The responsibility of outgoing MEPs and new candidates exceeds the Parliament’s, understood as institution. Indeed, the former are responsible for political communication, that is, the possibility of reaching out to potential voters and express to them their idea of Europe and how they plan to solve the hanging questions regarding citizens, the family, enterprises, etc. With this institutional and impartial campaign the Parliament wishes to attract the voters’ attention in order to smooth the way for the candidates and the parties, so they may be fully involved in the political debate. We must also bear in mind that messages regarding EU and Parliament efficiency gain major thrust when they are expressed by renown personalities”. Doesn’t this risk turning the European campaign for EU-Parliament election into a national affair? “This risk does exist in most Countries. With this institutional campaign we are trying to contain adverse effects. But both political parties and politicians are in charge of guiding the electoral campaign in the European direction by debating issues with a continental bearing, along with national implications of course. In this framework the media play a crucial role. They can focus on national issues only, or else they can pressure politicians onto tackling major European and International issues, bringing them to express themselves to this regard”.Since 1979, the date of the first universal suffrage elections, until 2004, the number of voters for the EU Parliament underwent a decrease. What are the possible causes? Do you believe this trend will change with this year’s elections? “It’s a complex question that involves many factors. First of all, it must be noted that low turnouts were registered not only in European elections. This phenomenon has been recorded also during national elections across different States. It appears to be a problem regarding participation to democratic life per se, which appears to be more relevant when it comes to Euro-Parliament elections. However, I wish to point out that the ongoing crisis in the economy could have repercussions on election turnout. In other words, high-turnouts could occur if voters were persuaded that the ongoing economic and employment recession require sound politics in particular, and thus citizens ought to grant greater legitimacy to the institutions. But the opposite is also possible: this situation could in fact trigger low faith in politics and institutions, both at national and Community level. In 2004, during the elections for the present Parliament, the situation was completely different: there was a sound economy, EU enlargement towards Eastern countries had just occurred, and the European Constitution was being drawn up”. The current situation could require powerful tools such as a “hammering” campaign that could have a more decisive impact on the public opinion. To get an idea, what were the costs of this institutional campaign?“It cost a total of 18 million Euro, amounting to 5 cents for each assignee. We must also consider that the campaign was carried out in the 23 official EU languages, since the Parliament promotes multilingualism”.Elections for the Euro-Parliament will take place before the enforcement of the Lisbon Treaty, which grants more power to the Assembly. Do you believe this fact could influence abstention? “It would have been better if the Treaty had been ratified by all the States, or if it had already been enforced, since it grants more powers to the Parliament in various sectors such as agricultural and regional policies. Citizens would have had more reliable and convincing elements on the Assembly. But this didn’t happen. Although it is almost certain that the Treaty will come into force during the 2009-2014 legislature. It’s important for citizens to be informed of this. They must also know that the ‘enlarged’ parliament of the current legislature worked very well: the political debate has been lively and crucial issues were supported by majority consensus, preceding EU Council decision. This was the case of the directive on the liberalization of services, of the REACH regulation on chemicals and of the directive on roaming fees. This institution has fully embodied the value of democratic consensus producing remarkable results”.What successes can be ascribed to the Assembly for the 2004-2009 legislature? “The liberalization of services without changing the European social model is a remarkable result. But I would also mention the REACH directive, the protection of the rights of air and train passengers, (we owe to the EU the reimbursement of tickets in case of delays and inefficiency), the definition of common regulations as relates to the repatriation of illegal immigrants. The Working Time Directive is currently undergoing debate. It must be noted that the Parliament performs its work to the presence of MEPs from 27 different Countries and from political groups that are often very distant from one another, which envisage more or less State/market, more or less individual rights, and, on the whole, more or less Europe”.What are the most relevant knots that ought to be addressed in the next five-year period? “The Parliament will be called to address major issues relating to the future of the European Union, from the institutional ones to the major challenges regarding the environment, energy, the economy and international politics. Debated issues are bound to include questions regarding citizens themselves. Also for this reason the Euro-Parliament ought to have a strong democratic legitimization with June’s elections”.