Low Voter Turnout – a Challenge for the European Movement

Polls are illustrating general support by a majority of 60% or sometimes 80% for the European Union. Obviously this attitude of people is not enough to motivate citizens to vote for the European Parliament elections.
One interesting explanation of why people don’t vote was recently put forward by a young Dutch philosopher Middelaar. He said that the public feels instinctively that the European Parliament doesn’t have the real power of a normal Parliament.  A parliament in a true democracy has the ultimate power to dismiss its government. The European parliament can dismiss the Commission, but the Commission has only the right to make proposals or has only executive tasks.
The real power in Europe lies in the hands of the European Council or the respective Council of Ministers; especially also when Commissioners are seeing themselves as the extension of their nation state or of their respective governments. The position of these men and women in power is depending on national voters, who vote for their national parliament, which has the power to dismiss its government.
Also, the European Political Parties are too much depending from their national parties. Further more, the European Parliament has to represent the European Citizen, but European Citizenship is not yet in the mindset of most of European citizens.
Intergovernmental-ism has increased year by year. We can also notice it in everyday’s practice. So called Council Expert groups are too often almost “co deciding” with their colleagues from the Commission.  But luckily enough is the will for “national interest first” often tempered by the readiness to come to a reasonable compromise, by sitting together à la “Méthode Monnet”, until a solution is found.
The European Movement has to reinforce its efforts to lobby for less intergovernmental-ism and more power for the European Parliament. Citizens will then start feeling more “Europeans” as well. The Lisbon treaty goes only in this respect in the right direction because at the same time it will again weaken the power of the Commission.
We have to help explaining in a convincing manner to our fellow citizens that only more “federalism” in the Union will increase efficiency and increase direct power to the true European citizens. It will help the European Union to become more influential in the world to defend Citizens’ common interest.
Henrik H. Kröner, Secretary General