On 5th June, voters from 27 EU countries will begin voting on who they wish to represent them in the European Parliament, it is the largest number of countries ever to vote for the only democratically elected transnational Institution in the world . Global Post have a very interesting Article on why the elections matter. The EU Observer, meanwhile, update us on the state of play 18 days before the election. There’s an interesting update re. the candidacy of Elena Basescu (below), the former-model daughter of the Romanian President who was originally head of his party’s list for the European Parliament. Following public outcry she had to withdraw from the list to make way for (what she called) “intellectuals”. She is now running as an independent, but EU Observer reports her as saying “”Yes, I want to win, although I realize I might be aiming too high now.” However, given the long line of entertainers, former models and singers that have gone on to become MEPs, I wouldn’t discount her chances just yet!

 Romanian candidate for the European Parliament, Elena Bbasescu: she dreams of Europe.

In June, 500 Million people all around the European Union will vote in the European Parliament elections. The elections will be useful to ascertain if the centre-left are gaining ground during the economic crisis. Already some polls are suggesting they may not be benefitting from the crisis, and may end up losing seats. However Agence Europe reports that the centre-left may actually gain a percent support from the voting public. The overall balance of power in the new parliament, however, is likley to remain with the centre-right.

The Financial Times (as they probably would) suggests that there is a broader problem with the left being unable to capture the public mood and suggests there is a deep suspicion with the left wing because of previous profligate spending. Perhaps, but, to use the most hackneyed expression, a week is a long time in politics, and 2 months is an eternity!

On the 6th March 2009, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton visited the European Parliament. While welcoming her, the Institution’s President Hans-Gert Pöttering  laid out the unique characteristics of the Parliament:

We are the only democratically elected international institution. We bring together the elected representatives of nearly 500 million Europeans from over 150 national political parties in 27 countries, sitting in seven political groups. In June, we will take our record to the people, in the only transnational elections of their kind anywhere in the world: 375 million citizens will have the right to vote.

The Parliament has just launched a publicity campaign to increase voter turnout for June’s election, which has been in decline since the first direct elections in 1979. You can see the website here & billboards will be erected (below) which will emphasise choice rather than civic duty as the primary reason to vote. According to a Parliament spokesperson “We will not call on citizens to exercise their civic duties. Instead, we want to highlight that there are major policy choices confronting the EU which will impact on people’s lives.”

See what you think, below:

Energy independence become a key buzzword in the US presidential debates. The European Union has now launched a new initiative to reduce its member states’ dependence on Russian oil - a controversial move published just at the conclusion of the EU-Russia Summit, which concludes on Friday.

The Financial Times is reporting new EU plans to build additional pipelines from the Caspian Sea, decreasing European ties to Russian pipeline infrastructure. Union officials are looking to build a network of pipelines that would carry gas from Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan into the EU. In addition, plans are being hatched to possibly create of European consortium to purchase gas from the region.

At the same time, the Council and Commission now seem to be weakening their commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the Union by 20% by 2020. The European Parliament announced immediate protest. It has vowed to hold the other parts of the EU administration to its commitments, outlined here.

The full EU proposals toward increasing long-term energy security can be found here.

French President and current EU figurehead, Nicolas Sarkozy claimed an early boost to his country's presidency of the Union yesterday, with the conclusion of the much anticipated ‘European Pact on Immigration and Asylum.’ Of course, it was a watered down version of the document that French immigration minister, Brice Hortefeux, was peddling to Member State governments earlier in the year - and rightfully so. Spain threw a wrench in the French Presidency's plans a few days ago, when it refused to agree to an addendum on integration and a Europe-wide ban on regularisations. 

According to those who have actually seen it, (it is not public information - at least not yet) it is built around five guiding principles:

So, at the end of the day, nothing in this pact is really new. 

For the most part, the Commission has already proposed legislation (EU Blue Card) and frameworks (Hague Programme) or, in fact, legislation has already been concluded as is the case for the Returns Directive.

However: Because Mr. Sarkozy has done what few others have done before him in recent EU politics (bar Angela Merkel on the environment) -  namely claim ownership and assume leadership - the media is keeping a close eye not only on him as EU President, but on the commitments made by all 27 Heads of State and Government as part of this pact. In the absence of a clear legal base for Justice and Home Affairs policy (which is linked to the adoption of the Lisbon Reform Treaty), and in light of demographic and economic need, the EU needs momentum in this crucial policy area. 

For ten years, since the initial EU Summit on immigration policy in Tampere, plans were made, legislation was written but major problems remained unadressed. Member states failed to realize the benefit of common approaches to a policy area, which by nature of the Union's open borders, could no longer be controlled unitlaterally.

We have a new window of opportunity: Europe needs migrants economically, and Europeans are beginning to understand the benefit of controlled migration. Europeans, by and large, want the Union - not their individual national governments - to develop functional policy in this area. Now is the time to turn the end the closed-door decision-making that started in Tampere. The European Parliament, NGOs and migrant organizations have to use this new window of opportunity in their favor, to ensure that the European Union gives itself the robust, humantiarian, just, equal and functional immigration and asylum policy it needs for the 21st century and beyond. 

The European Parliament rang in its 50th anniversary today, with a 'solemn ceremony’, in what FT commentator Andrew Bounds calls “an even more surreal session” in Strasbourg than usual. Since 1958 and with the growth of the Union the legitimacy (first appointed then directly elected), size (from 142 members to the current 785) and role in the legislative process (initially advisory only, now almost on par with Member States in the majority of issues) has changed to an almost incredible degree. Still, shortcomings are aplenty: A survey published last week revealed that 73% of Europeans feel ill-informed about what it is the parliament does, though generally speaking they think it wields more power than the other institutions. Two-thirds of those queried had no idea when the next elections for the EP would take place - no one dared to ask, of course, if they even cared.

And there we have it: the quintessential dilemma - most people still don't care. The parliament's president, Hans-Gert Poettering, had to go so far today as to issue a call to national European parties to nominate candidates who mattered to people for seats in Europe's elected body. A German saying plays on that fact, implying that only the most passé or incomeptent get shipped off to Brussels (’Hast Du einen Opa, schick ihn nach Europa’), because wouldn't you want to keep the best where they mattered most - at home? That thinking of course is inherently flawed, given the fact that nearly 80% of national legislation in certain countries is handed down directly from Brussels - so wouldn't you want the brightest shaping policies there?

Naturally, the EP suffers through the same crises as national parliaments - questions over allowances, bonuses and other benefits are forever resurfacing in the press - and these are legitimate questions to ask. Then there is that whole ‘accountability’ thing: While citizens have trouble holding the Parliament accountable, largely because the voting districts and the electoral system for some countries is different from their national contexts, the EP itself has been successful in playing itself as the people's advocate. It brought the Santer Commission down; it stopped an avowed homophobe from becoming EU Commissioner; it was instrumental in capping the cost of mobile telephone calls in the Union; it has ensured robust anti-discrimination legislation and prevented the liberalization of Europe's harbors for fear of an unemployment wave. It sets the rules for multibillion Euro mergers and has a key role to play in the regulation of markets from telecomms to energy.

Yes, there are plenty of lame ducks in the Parliament, hiding amongst the extremely hard-working and committed men and women. For it to become a more relevant institution to the Union's citizens, the Parliament as a whole must, however become more politicized. Parties must resemble what citizens are used to on the national level. There must be a qualitiative debate on policy issues in which transnational issues are made evident - and the issues have to mean something to the citizen.

Until that happens, the current divide will continue: important decisions for the future of each and every one of us will be made in a city far, far away, by people who (in the absolute worst of cases) were too irrelevant for the national political process to begin with. Hardly an ideal situation. Naturally, this has to come from within the parties themselves. First signs are there, as is evidenced by the European Socialist Party. But more effective strategies need to be developed for this nascent, true party formation ongoing with all big groups in the current EP to be transmitted to the voter. That must be the Parliament's ongoing task, but for today - let its members sit back and revel in their accomplishments: Let them eat cake.