EU Elections

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‘If as a young person, you are never approached by a political party and their proposals do not speak to you, why would you go out and vote?’ said a member of the European Youth Forum. Source: Creative Christians In a novel experiment, around 270,000 teenagers in Belgium will be able to vote for the first time in the EU elections in June, in an innovative attempt by one of the 27 member states to give 16- and 17-year-olds a say. At the most recent 2019 elections, the bloc saw a historically impressive turnout, with 50.6 percent of eligible citizens going to the polls. And that increase was mainly driven by the under-25s — although paradoxically they were also the age group with the lowest overall turnout. Now, the EU is hoping for a new youth surge in turnout for the 2024 election, If you don’t defend it, the EU is there today — and who knows tomorrow? Jaume Duch and wants the idealism of the younger generation to act as a barrier against populism, as the far-right is expected to gain ground across Europe. “Young Europeans will become a wall of democracy next June against this wave of populism and hate that threatens to attack Europe,” said EU Commission vice-president Margaritis Schinas back in January, when he publicly asked US singer Taylor Swift to help get young Europeans out to vote. The general voting age in the EU is 18 — but Belgium is not the only member state that will allow people that age to vote. Austria has done so since 2007, Malta since 2018 and Germany adapted its elec-
EUROPEAN ELECTIONS EU eyes teen turnout as next generation votes Lowering the voting age is a way of making mid-to-late teenagers feel listened to — but it is also a way of creating a habit, increasing the likelihood of them voting throughout their lives. And also possibly a youthful and idealistic ‘shield’ against more reactionary and right-wing middle-aged voters? By PAULA SOLER toral law in early 2023, while in Greece, teenage citizens can go to the polls as soon as they turn 17. The 2019 European parliamentary elections took place against a backdrop where climate change was one of the main concerns of young Europeans, who organised themselves to protest for change in the ‘Fridays for Future’ movement. “In 2019, there was also a Brexit effect, because many young people realised what happens when you stay at home,” said Jaume Duch, director general for communication at the European Parliament, in an interview with EUobserver. But the 2024 elections will be even more political, Duch said, citing the multiple crises that followed 2019: not least, the Covid-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine — so the parliament wants to reinforce some messages to young people before polling day. “If you don’t defend it, the EU is there today and who knows tomorrow,” he argued. “And also, the European Union goes hand-in-hand with democracy, and democracy has to be defended when the elections come”. According to the latest Eurobarometer, 57 percent of Europeans are interested in the EP elections. That is six percentage points more than five years ago, but will this interest translate into votes? How does the EU want to engage with the youth vote? What do European youth organisations think is wrong with existing ways of engaging with young people? And, most importantly, what do these young people themselves have to say? The view from youth organisations Europe has made very little progress since 2011 on young people’s well-being, freedoms and rights (and no progress at all in the past six years), according to data published in late 2023 by the European Youth Forum (EYF) — an umbrella group 27
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EU Elections

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