Euro elections highlight real issues and political choice

9.10.00am GMT Wed 18th Mar 2009

Graham Watson MEP

The European Parliament officially kicked off its public awareness campaign about the forthcoming European elections (4th-7th June). In a break with the past, the information campaign will be focused on issues and political choices rather than the purely institutional dimension.

Graham Watson, the Leader of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats and MEP for the South West of England and Gibraltar commented:

"Parliament faces a major challenge to halt a downward trend in participation. To be successful, this campaign will need to be widely picked up on at national level and to reach out and communicate with a broader public including those who may not normally show an interest in politics.

"It is already an improvement on past campaigns that we are addressing real issues of debate regarding the security at our borders, what sources of energy we use to fuel our cars and what chemicals we allow to enter our food-chain.

There will be no shortage of eurosceptics standing in these elections so it is incumbent upon all like-minded pro-Europeans to speak out loudly and consistently for a political vision of a united Europe - whether that is a centrist, a right-wing or a left-wing one."