Short panoramic views of the member states on the eve of the 25th of May European elections
by Emanuele Bonini
If a real European spirit is not the main element in northern, central and eastern EU member state, unfortunately the opposite cannot be said for southern states. Here just Cyprus can offer a vision of Europe different from that one of doubt and skepticism, and the European elections are approached with a different spirit. For Cyprus the vote is a great chance for going beyond historical divisions. On January the government approved legislation that makes it easier for Turkish Cypriots to vote in the upcoming European Parliament elections by registering those eligible on the electoral roll automatically. The bill provides that all Cypriot citizens who are eligible to vote, including those living in the north with Republic identity cards, will be automatically registered on the electoral roll and will not have to apply. Cyprus will vote to elect six MEPs, and in Nicosia the main goal is the elections of two Turkish Cypriots. This strategy has been chosen in order to try to overcome the division of the island, still split in two parts. Cyprus was claimed both by Greece and by Turkey. In 1974 Turkey invaded the north of the island after the attempt of Greek colonels to annex Cyprus to Greece. Since then Cyprus has been experiencing tensions between the two communities (the Greek-speaking one, in the EU, and the Turkish-speaking one, linked to Turkey and not in the EU). European elections will be a political experiment to start to include Turks both in national and in the European process. In Greece the situation is totally different. Austerity will be the main target of these elections, and the European Union will pay for the assistance programme imposed to Greeks. Metaxist party Golden Dawn will be the leading actor in these elections, and for the first time ever will bring people to Brussels. In Greece the European Union was able to destroy itself imposing conditions too harsh to can be accepted by voters. An anti-European choice seems to be highly probable in this country
Risky elections could be held in Croatia. There the European Union will already have to face a vote of confidence because of the conditions Brussels is imposing to the country. Croatia, last member states to join the EU, has become the 28th country on July 2013 and few months after its arrival the European Commission opened several dossier because of macro-economic imbalances. So, Croatia is going to loose part of its own political autonomy until the country will have reached fiscal consolidation. Europe could be considered as a problem by a large part of the population, and the European Parliament could be seen just as an exit-strategy. With a monthly salary of €6,700 plus daily expenses, most Croatian citizens perceive employment as member of the European Parliament as one of the best paid. That's the reason why there were 28 lists with 336 candidates in April 2013 when Croatians chose their MEPs for the first time, and there is likely to be even more candidates at the end of the month. Slovenia now has other kind of problems. Prime minister Alenka Bratusek resigned after division within her party Positive Slovenia. She's not back any more by her fellows and one week ago she left the government bringing the country in political crisis. Will Slovenians still concentrated on European elections or will they loose interest due to internal affairs? As well as other member states from European communist area Slovenia never had a strong attitude to European election, with a voter turnout of around 28% in all previous elections (2004 and 2009). On May the 25th voters could decide to have a general election test expressing vote in Europe just to send messages at home. Indecision is the main problem for Malta. Polls suggested most of voters have not a particular to vote and others are "undecided". That clearly shows how the EU be attractive on the island. Not a good new for Europe.
If a real European spirit is not the main element in northern, central and eastern EU member state, unfortunately the opposite cannot be said for southern states. Here just Cyprus can offer a vision of Europe different from that one of doubt and skepticism, and the European elections are approached with a different spirit. For Cyprus the vote is a great chance for going beyond historical divisions. On January the government approved legislation that makes it easier for Turkish Cypriots to vote in the upcoming European Parliament elections by registering those eligible on the electoral roll automatically. The bill provides that all Cypriot citizens who are eligible to vote, including those living in the north with Republic identity cards, will be automatically registered on the electoral roll and will not have to apply. Cyprus will vote to elect six MEPs, and in Nicosia the main goal is the elections of two Turkish Cypriots. This strategy has been chosen in order to try to overcome the division of the island, still split in two parts. Cyprus was claimed both by Greece and by Turkey. In 1974 Turkey invaded the north of the island after the attempt of Greek colonels to annex Cyprus to Greece. Since then Cyprus has been experiencing tensions between the two communities (the Greek-speaking one, in the EU, and the Turkish-speaking one, linked to Turkey and not in the EU). European elections will be a political experiment to start to include Turks both in national and in the European process. In Greece the situation is totally different. Austerity will be the main target of these elections, and the European Union will pay for the assistance programme imposed to Greeks. Metaxist party Golden Dawn will be the leading actor in these elections, and for the first time ever will bring people to Brussels. In Greece the European Union was able to destroy itself imposing conditions too harsh to can be accepted by voters. An anti-European choice seems to be highly probable in this country
Risky elections could be held in Croatia. There the European Union will already have to face a vote of confidence because of the conditions Brussels is imposing to the country. Croatia, last member states to join the EU, has become the 28th country on July 2013 and few months after its arrival the European Commission opened several dossier because of macro-economic imbalances. So, Croatia is going to loose part of its own political autonomy until the country will have reached fiscal consolidation. Europe could be considered as a problem by a large part of the population, and the European Parliament could be seen just as an exit-strategy. With a monthly salary of €6,700 plus daily expenses, most Croatian citizens perceive employment as member of the European Parliament as one of the best paid. That's the reason why there were 28 lists with 336 candidates in April 2013 when Croatians chose their MEPs for the first time, and there is likely to be even more candidates at the end of the month. Slovenia now has other kind of problems. Prime minister Alenka Bratusek resigned after division within her party Positive Slovenia. She's not back any more by her fellows and one week ago she left the government bringing the country in political crisis. Will Slovenians still concentrated on European elections or will they loose interest due to internal affairs? As well as other member states from European communist area Slovenia never had a strong attitude to European election, with a voter turnout of around 28% in all previous elections (2004 and 2009). On May the 25th voters could decide to have a general election test expressing vote in Europe just to send messages at home. Indecision is the main problem for Malta. Polls suggested most of voters have not a particular to vote and others are "undecided". That clearly shows how the EU be attractive on the island. Not a good new for Europe.
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