Briefings
European elections 2009
On Presseurop
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European elections: Left tongue tied as right takes all
8 June 20092 La Repubblica Rome -
European elections: Global vote, local mindset
8 June 20092 El País Madrid -
Italy: Pss! Wanna buy some votes?
1 June 2009Il Sole-24 Ore Milan -
European Parliament: Where consensus is king
28 May 20091 Le Monde Paris -
European elections: Time to bite the ballot
25 May 20091 Süddeutsche Zeitung Munich -
European elections: The downturn turn-out turn-off
24 May 2009Público Madrid -
Controversy: SPD shark attack loses bite
22 May 20093 Presseurop -
European Parliament: 785 swotting for Europe
21 May 2009Trouw Amsterdam -
European Parliament: MEP's not so “useless” after all
14 May 20091 Revista 22 Bucharest
Whether in power or oppostion, conservative parties have benefited from the electorate’s anxiety about the recession. In decline throughout the EU, the left is going through “a language crisis”. It no longer knows how to talk to its traditional base, believes La Repubblica. 
Candidates and the electorate have turned the largest transnational ballot in history into a vote on national issues. A pity, says El Pais, since global problems increasingly require solutions that transcend borders. 
Times change, but one tradition in the south of Italy appears to be here to stay: the buying and selling of votes. Three candidates in the European elections told us about their experience, and how they were offered all-in packages at unbeatable prices, from as little as 80 cents a ballot. 
The European Parliament is distinctive for its very strong culture of compromise. In order to have pull with the Commission and Council, MEPs seek to make agreements before voting, and traditional political divisions are glossed over. 
The European parliament is the world's only democratically elected supranational institution. In the absence of any real debate as to why it exists, citizens view it as a preserve of the elite. 
Against a backdrop of rising unemployment and deteriorating social condtions, the Union has little benefited the working classes, reason for which voter abstention in this June's European elections will be exceptionally high, writes Spanish political commentator Vicenç Navarro. 
Seeking to portray itself as a champion of social justice, Germany's Social Democratic party has been running an aggressive campaign for the June elections. In a country wary of sloganeering, its recent posters have provoked heated debate. 
Registration and use of chemical products, reduction of CO2 emissions - MEPs often have to handle very technical issues. Painstaking work. 
Highly regarded in Eastern Europe, the European Parliament is a place where political differences blur - a good thing for debate, writes Alexandru Lăzescu.