Ten days after the EU elections the political debate has quickly shifted from the concerns on the low electoral turnout (43.07%), to the decision over the new presidents of the Parliament (EP) and of the Commission (the latter will surely be the incumbent president Barroso). However, this lack of trust and interest showed by the European electors is extremely worrying - especially if we consider the progressive decline since the first elections in 1979 - must be better analyzed and faced with concrete proposals. Actually, it's an incredible paradox that the more the powers and competences of the EP have increased, the more the electoral turnout has decreased.
In my opinion, the most relevant causes of the disappointing turnout can be listed, randomly, as follows:
- Absence of an European demos : Europe is made of a sum of several demoi (not necessarly identified with the current member States). As a result, people cannot feel completely involved in the process of political and social integration of the EU, also because national politicians and media tend to 'nationalize' the issues debated during the electoral campaign : consequently, there's an institutional, political and cultural lack of interest for the European elections;
- Absence of pan-European parties, candidates and lists : member States remain central in the political debate and, as mentioned above, the issues debated during the electoral campaign are mainly focused on national problems;
- Disaffection towards politics, demagogy : in this sense, the current economic crisis has played an important role. People see politicians as sort of 'distant entities', far from the reality they have to face: thus, they avoid going to polls. Another implication is the concerning growth of ultra-right parties in several European countries (above all in the UK, Austria, Nehterlands and Hungary).
How to face these problems? How to relaunch the process of political integration of the EU based on democratic participation and centrality of the Parliament? I hereby suggest some 'federal' solutions:
- Parties must be registered at a EU level and allowed to present lists wherever they want in the Union , bypassing the national frontiers. This would force parties to set programs, lists and electoral campaigns on a continental base , dealing with issues that can be widely understood and in the interest of the whole Union: hence, it would eventually relaunch the process of growth of the EP, which would be central in the political debate;
- Electoral districts have to be chosen by the EP itself . It is actually absurd and counterproducing that the electoral districts are gerrymandered by the member States: the EP has the political and moral right to decide the allocation of its members, overpassing the old-fashioned mentality laying on the centrality of the member States. In this sense, electoral districts could be organized and drawn on the base of common interests and cultural proximity (that's the case of the Euroregions). I make a simple example which regards me directly: the Western Alps' semi-arch, including Aosta Valley, part of Piedmont and Liguria (Italy) and part of Rh รด ne-Alpes (France) can be set as a sole cross-border electoral district;
- Parties must make clear before the elections who is their respective candidate for the presidency of the EU Commission (to be renamed, according to the Treaty of Lisbon, 'Presidency of the European Union'), who, in turn, has to be directly responsible for the chose of the commissioners, without any 'suggestion' from the governments of the member States;
- Brussels has to be the sole seat of the EP , as federal capital of the Union (see my previous posts: 1 and 2 ). It is a paradox and a huge waste of money that the second largest Parliament in the world has two seats: reducing the expenditures of around 250 million Euros will give an important signal to all Europeans.
So, these are Proposals my, my ideas. Does Anybody Have Something to add, to criticize, to Propose? More Than I'm of course open to discussion!
