Brussels, 16/06/2004 (Agence Europe) - During his press conference on the European Council (see p.5), President Prodi announced that the European Commission will carry out an in-depth analysis of the European elections, with a particular view to understanding the reasons behind low turn-out rates and the success of the Eurosceptics. We must clearly show the electorate that the elections "are important for everybody, that the European institutions are important for everybody, that the European Union is an integral part of out national politics", he said. He feels that the low turnout rates in the new Member States are a sign of "democracy fatigue", especially where referendums were held on accession, rather than an expression of discontent. As for the Eurosceptics, Mr Prodi noted that "debate is the spice of democracy", and that in the European Parliament, "there is room for everybody" (yesterday's EUROPE, p.8).
When asked about movements coming to light in the Parliament (see above), Mr Prodi said: I have not proposed creating a party; for several months, I have been emphasising the need for a political force to gather within this European Parliament representing "a strong idea of Europe". In the next few days, we will see how this initiative "is put into practice", he added.