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European Parliament Elections 2019

  • Text
  • European
  • Parliament
  • Elections
  • Meps
  • Parliamant
  • Brussels
  • Strasbourg
  • Russia
  • Plenary
  • Euobserver
It is difficult to acknowledge you don't know something. A few months ago, several thousand Europeans were asked hundreds of questions for the Eurobarometer poll. One of those questions was: "Do you agree with the statement: 'I understand how the EU works'." Only 10 percent totally disagreed with that statement. Another 29 percent "tended to disagree". Peculiarly, three percent said they did not know whether to agree or disagree.

euobserver EDITORIAL

euobserver EDITORIAL ADDRESS EUobserver Magazine Rue Montoyer 18B 1000 Brussels Belgium contact@euobserver.com Editor Editor: Peter Teffer Editorial contributions: Lisbeth Kirk, Andrew Rettman, Nikolaj Nielsen, Peter Teffer, Eszter Zalan & Matthew Tempest ARTICLE LAYOUT Art director: Tobias Andreasen ADVERTISING EUobserver Magazine Rue Montoyer 18B 1000 Brussels Belgium advertising@euobserver.com DISTRIBUTION EUobserver Magazine Rue Montoyer 18B 1000 Brussels Belgium Henner Sorg hsorg@euobserver.com PUBLISHER EUobserver.com ASBL www.euobserver.com MAKING SENSE OF THE EU EUobserver is an independent online newspaper which values free thinking and plain speech. We aim to support European democracy by giving people the information they need to hold the EU establishment to account. HIGH QUALITY JOURNALISM EUobserver is an independent, not-for-profit organisation established in Brussels in 2000. Our team of experienced journalists file daily news reports from the EU capital and do in-depth investigations on topics of special interest. If you want EUobserver to look into a specific issue, please contact our editors. We protect our sources. The right to vote It is difficult to acknowledge you don't know something. A few months ago, several thousand Europeans were asked hundreds of questions for the Eurobarometer poll. One of those questions was: "Do you agree with the statement: 'I understand how the EU works'." Only 10 percent totally disagreed with that statement. Another 29 percent "tended to disagree". Peculiarly, three percent said they did not know whether to agree or disagree. In other words, only one-in-10 EU citizens were willing to admit they did not understand how the EU worked. Those taking the survey were also asked to say if it was true that members of the European Parliament were directly elected by the citizens of each EU member state. Strikingly, 15 percent said they did not know, while 26 percent said this was wrong: (incorrectly, because MEPs are, in fact, directly-elected by voters in each member state). The result indicated that quite some work is still needed to inform EU citizens of how the EU works - an all-the-more pressing need as around 350 million European citizens will have the right to go to the polls in May 2019. This magazine is meant to help readers prepare for the European Parliament elections, no matter their level of knowledge. It explains what the EU's only directly-elected body does, why its MEPs are dividing their time between Brussels and Strasbourg, and how much they are paid. It also explores the ways in which Russia is trying to influence the outcome, and how the election result could help determine the next president of the European Commission. Most of all, it encourages people to go out and vote. Since the first EU elections in 1979, the voter turnout figure has, sadly, known only one direction: down. At the same time, the impact of EU politics on people's daily lives has dramatically increased. Whether you are a federalist, a moderate, or wholly opposed to EU integration, the right to vote is the source of envy in many countries across the world. Let's use it. Peter Teffer Cover illustration Tobias Andreasen Independent and investigative journalism requires your financial support. Please consider becoming a member of EUobserver. Go to our website and sign up. www.euobserver.com

European elections 23-26 may 2019 thistimeimvoting.eu

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