By Martin Banks - 7th April 2009
Only a tiny proportion of news in member states is devoted to the EU
Simon Hix
A top academic has cast doubt on the likely impact of parliament's election awareness-raising campaign.
Speaking in Brussels on Tuesday, Simon Hix said the €18m initiative is unlikely to have much impression on Europe's voters in the run-up to the 4-7 June election.
"Whether you like it or not, the fact is this election will once again be decided on national issues," he said.
Under the slogan "European elections, it's your choice", the parliament project will feature posters, TV and radio spots and seminars, as well as running on social networking sites such as MySpace and Facebook.
It also includes video recording booths where citizens can record a message on what they think of the EU, ads on 15,000 billboards and election roadshows in several countries, including Ireland, the UK, Bulgaria, Germany, Spain and Portugal.
It will centre around 10 themes, such as consumer, security and energy issues.
The campaign has been ridiculed in some quarters with Northern Irish EPP MEP James Nicholson questioning whether it will provide value for money.
Hix, who was presenting a new study predicting the outcome of this summer's elections, said he does not expect the project to have much effect.
"The parliament can spend as much as it likes on putting up posters and convening events and suchlike."
Hix, a professor at the London School of Economics, said, "But if the main political editors on national newspapers and in TV newsrooms are not interested then the campaign is unlikely to have much impact.
"This is where the vast bulk of voters get their information from and it is a fact of life that only a tiny proportion of news in member states is devoted to the EU.
"This, in turn, probably means that voter turnout in the election will remain roughly unchanged."
A parliament spokesman said the campaign will cost the equivalent of five cents per voter, is non-partisan and is designed to raise awareness of the poll.
He said, "It aims to be a truly European campaign with a single message common to all member states. This compares to previous European elections, which more akin to 27 separate national election days."
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