06-11-2004, 09:02 AM
The problem is, that the EU is very bad at PR. Very few realise the importance and the positive aspects of the EU, but every national politican and most citizens simply blame "Brussel" for everything they don't like or gone wrong - thus the high amount of people voting for EU-critique-parties and the low participation in the elections. Also a lot of parties send off second-rate politicians to the EU, a thing which doesn't help to generate interest in the election.
Another factor is, that the EU-parliament still has not the power it should have. Most of the things are still decided by the (unelected) commission or the (only very indirectly elected) Minister councils and meetings of the Prime Ministers/Chancellor/Presidents, and thus it is impossible to convince people that they have any democratic influence onto the EU government. If the heads of state get their act together and give the EU a real democracy (elected Parliament and a Senate, where every country brings in their Senators and a EU-government (commission), which is elected by the parliament) the interest in Europe will increase a lot.
Another factor is, that the EU-parliament still has not the power it should have. Most of the things are still decided by the (unelected) commission or the (only very indirectly elected) Minister councils and meetings of the Prime Ministers/Chancellor/Presidents, and thus it is impossible to convince people that they have any democratic influence onto the EU government. If the heads of state get their act together and give the EU a real democracy (elected Parliament and a Senate, where every country brings in their Senators and a EU-government (commission), which is elected by the parliament) the interest in Europe will increase a lot.