[Lymec-PM] One year after the European Parliament (EP) elections, the Young European Federalists (JEF-Europe), the European Liberal Youth (LYMEC) and the Federation of Young European Greens (FYEG) want to remind of the necessity of reforming the electoral system in order to bring the EU closer to the citizens and reverse the worrying trend towards ever lower voter turnout. All three organisations therefore welcome the proposal included in the Duff Report of having additional MEPs who will be elected by a single constituency formed of the whole territory of the European Union and transnational lists that will be composed of candidates drawn from at least one third of the States. “Any initiatives aiming at creating a genuinely European public sphere and a more European mindset among the MEPs are extremely important for European democracy, as national priorities still too often dominate the election campaign.” explains JEF-Europe President Philippe Adriaenssens.
For JEF-Europe, LYMEC and FYEG it is essential that a significant number of MEP candidates could run on such transnational lists. The European political parties would thus feel encouraged to nominate their own candidates and engage in EU-wide campaigns.
“National campaigns by national parties often centre on national issues. If one wants to have true European Parliament elections instead of 27 national ones, we need EU-wide lists. That way, a European public sphere could further develop. An EU-wide constituency would thus make the European public more sensible for the European dimension of the elections and strengthen the legitimacy as well as the democratic power of the European Parliament.” states LYMEC President Alexander Plahr.
Representatives of the three organizations add: “The change in the composition of the European Institutions is so fundamental that reforms must be dealt with now and not postponed until a couple of months before the next elections. The European political parties have the primary responsibility here to reconnect the Citizens with the EU decision-makers.”
MEP Andrew Duff, President of the UEF and Rapporteur for the Reform of the Electoral Act in the AFCO committee, concludes: "I welcome the support of JEF for radical reform of our parliamentary system. The establishment of a transnational constituency for a small number of MEPs is the key proposal. It would galvanise the European Parliamentary election campaign and give European political parties some serious campaigning to do for the first time. What we need next spring is a Convention which brings together all the stakeholders to debate these matters and produce a new democratic consensus for post-national Europe."
