EU Elections

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EUOBSERVER representing over 100 youth organisations. “I’m afraid that because of this lack of progress, the motivation to engage in this kind of democratic process might have gone down,” said Rareș Voicu, an EYF board member. National youth councils and organisations are actively working to campaign and inform young people about the June elections, but they cannot do it alone, Voicu stressed. “At the end of the day, it’s up to political parties to include issues which matter to them in their manifestos,” he commented. “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?” Earlier this year, the commission announced the introduction of so-called ‘youth checks’ — a tool to analyse how draft policies impact the lives of young people now and in the future. “Young people will not participate in spaces where they don’t feel that it makes sense for them to participate or that something will come out of it” Voicu highlighted. However, a major problem also lies in the lack of political representation by the young, says the EYF, with only 2.6 percent of MPs worldwide under 30 — and just 37 out of 705 existing MEPs under 35. What EU Parliament plans Part of the European parliament’s campaign in the run-up to the elections will focus on the importance of intergenerational dialogue. “We are going to highlight the fact that the older generations are passing the baton to the younger people,” explained Duch. “The baton, precisely in the sense of defending the democratic principles, values and rights that make up the European Union beyond the single market.” A message that the institution plans to adapt to the language of the younger generations and to spread through the channels most used by them, such as social networks like TikTok, as well as through content creators and celebrities. EU commissioner Margaritis Schinas asked US singer Taylor Swift to help get young Europeans out to vote. Source: Wikimedia “All stakeholders in society need to be very present on social media, not just the parliament,” Duch warned. “We should not be afraid of using them, (...) because the percentage of people who receive information or disinformation through these channels is increasing, and so are the negative consequences,” he said, when asked whether the parliament fears that the predicted rise of anti-EU parties could be fuelled by young voters who are unaware of how the EU really affects their daily lives. What (some) young people say Every young generation has its own concerns, but this one in particular, the so-called ‘Generation Z’ (those born between 1996 and 2012), is more difficult to see as a unified generation, given the growing ideological gender-divide, as a recent analysis shows. To take one example, in Germany, the so-called ideological gap is as high as 30 percentage points — between increasingly conservative young men, and their progressive female counterparts. A similar gap was seen in Poland in 2023, when almost half of male voters aged 18-21 backed the far-right Confederation party. Only one-sixth of their female counterparts did. So what do some of these teenagers themselves have to say about an EU that they might not know much about, or often feel is distant? Is voting at 16 a mature enough age to have a democratic say? Manolis, a 17-year-old Greek, is not really familiar with how the EU works, nor with its legislative powers and initiatives, so he will not vote for any candidate, even though he feels his concerns are not being adequately addressed by politicians. “What upsets me most is unemployment,” Manolis told EUobserver. “I consider myself a well-educated teenager, and I am outraged by the prospect of either having to move to another country to find a job, or having to tolerate the reality of low wages and long working hours in Greece,” he said. For Youssef, the problem is that he feels politicians are doing nothing to give him more opportunities in life. He is also a 17-year-old Belgian citizen from the Brussels commune of Saint-Josse-ten- Noode, where his family has lived since
EUROPEAN ELECTIONS People like Greta Thunberg have been listened to about climate change by older generations since she was my age.” Juliane, 16 Greta Thunberg has been a significant political figure since she was 15 years old — before she was old enough to vote. Source: Wikimedia they moved from Morocco for work more than 20 years ago. “If we want to vote because we feel involved and informed, why not let us?” argues Juliane, a 16-year-old German, who finds this an interesting idea. “I know that European decisions are made here, in the same city as me, but I don’t feel that they are addressed to me, so what difference would this vote make in my life?” he said. Anastasia is 20, from a Slovakian family, but also living in Brussels and plans to cast a blank ballot as she does not truly follow politics. “I don’t think it’s smart to let 16 and 17-year-olds vote because they’re still young, innocent,” she told EUobserver via a text. “Even adults sometimes aren’t educated enough to vote”. “People like Greta Thunberg have been listened to about climate change by older generations since she was my age or so,” Juliane pointed out. Lowering the voting age is a way of making mid-late teenagers feel listened to, says EYF board member Voicu — but it is also a way of creating a habit, increasing the likelihood of them voting throughout their lives and breaking down the barrier between young people and democratic processes earlier. “So who knows, [if you vote earlier] maybe you’re going to be more motivated to run for office in your twenties?” Voicu concluded. ◄ About Paula Soler Paula Soler is EUobserver’s social affairs correspondent. She previously worked covering economic and financial affairs at Spanish newspaper El Confidencial. 29
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