Knowing in order to choose

According to Eurobarometer’s latest pool, 35% of the citizens declared they will certainly cast a vote from 4 to 7 June to elect the new EU Parliament. 15% of the interviewed, instead, are certain not to vote. Half of the eligible voters are still uncertain and they are the ones to establish whether the turnout is high or low. An issue that mustn’t be underestimated considering the strong democratic and popular role of the only universal suffrage EU Institution.(SIR Europe previous fact file n. 9-11-13-15-17-20-23-26/2009) Thirty years of European elections. In the first year the EEC’s assembly, founded in 1957, was made up of members elected by national Member States Parliaments. At the beginning of the ’70s, to give greater political stand to the Community’s citizens, the need for direct election of the Strasburg Parliament was debated. The first election under these conditions – after the EEC decision in 1976- was held exactly thirty years ago in 1979, and was followed by five more elections in 1984, 1989, 1994, 1999 and 2004. Further elections have been held in new Member States after EU enlargement to enable them to have their own representatives. More or less loyal to election. European election turnout has been fickle throughout the years, both generally and from one Member state to the other. The overall turnout at the election in 1979 was equal to 61.9% – rather high, mirroring the vote’s novelty and commitment of many European and Federalist movements. The turnout continuously dropped starting from 58.9% in 1984, 49.5% in 1999 and 45.5% in 2004. However, there are countries where turnout is always rather high -in some countries the vote is mandatory- and others where it is low. For example in Germany the percentage of voters in 1979 was 65, while in 2004 slightly under 43%; a similar trend has been registered in France (from 60 to 42%). Great Britain has always stably been under 40% with a historical record low in 1999 (24%). More diligent voters have been registered in Italy ((85% in 1979, 71% in 2004) and smaller countries: Belgium and Luxemburg (always close to 90%). High Abstention rate in Eastern Europe. Turnout in Ireland, Denmark, Spain, Sweden, Austria and Finland has been more waiver and low. Figures of new member states are most striking. In June 2004 elections, when 10 states that just a month before had adhered to the “common house”, a record low -with the exception of Cyprus and Malta- was registered: 28% in Czech Republic, 41% in Latvia, 38% in Hungary, 21% in Poland, until the lowest percentage in Slovakia. Both Rumania and Bulgaria that voted in 2007 after the EU’s latest enlargement registered just a 29% turnout. The only positive element registered five years ago is the turnout increase in countries where voting is not mandatory, such as Italy, Netherlands, Ireland, the United Kingdom and Finland. It can be useful -even if not reassuring- to highlight that in all the Old Continent’s Countries drop in turnout at the European elections coincides with a similar trend registered in national elections. Few women in Parliament. Of the 375 million voters that in June will choose their MPs the majority are women, although they are outnumbered by men in the Assembly, like in the other European -and national- institutions. During the 2004 elections, European deputies stressed political parties to insert a higher number of women in their election lists; last year the Eurochamber asked the Commission, Member States and parties to consider “positive actions to improve the situation” and highlighted “positive effects in using election quotas for women representatives”. Furthermore, some Member States already have laws in place to guarantee the election of a higher number of women: in France, the equal opportunity law led to the enforcement of a system of alternation of men and women listed for European elections. In other countries, such as Sweden, political party rules are also valid. The results have been successful: some countries have registered an equal presence of men and women in the European Parliament (Estonia, Luxemburg and Slovenia) or similar (France, Netherlands and Slovenia). In time the percentage of women MP has slightly increased: in 1979 it was just 16% while today it is one third of the Assembly.