(28 May 2009) The European Parliament elections are vital. And it is vital that as many as possible get out and vote. The higher the turnout - the higher the legitimacy of the most representative of the EU institutions. Why does this matter? The European Commission has, over the last 5 years, continued its slide towards a ’market first and market everywhere’ approach. The European Parliament can challenge this trend. But it can only do so if it has the support of European citizens. The best support that citizens can give is to turn up. The turnout for this election will be the single biggest factor. A low turn out lets in extremists. As EPSU, our network of public service unions has a big role to play in getting our millions of members to vote.
The public service dimension to this vote is clear. We are fighting to have quality public services and quality public service jobs, throughout the EU. Through the EPSU public service pledge, we have tried to forge links with key candidates who are likely to become Members (MEPs). Over the next 5 years we aim to foster these contacts, across political parties, so that we can get the best deal in any legislation on healthcare, energy, local government or national administration.
As you can see from the stories from your countries, we have attracted support for our pledge, across Europe, and across political parties. We need to focus, over this last week of the campaign, on how we can now get our millions of members to come out, and vote to protect public services.
Carola Fischbach-Pyttel
EPSU General Secretary
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