31/03/2009 (Agence Europe) - The 10 surviving former presidents of the European Parliament met in Brussels on Tuesday 31 March to launch a joint appeal for a high voter turn-out at the European elections in June. “It is of vital importance that European citizens come out to exercise their democratic right because the European Parliament plays a crucial role in decision making that affects the daily lives of each and every one of the EU's 500 million citizens,” said Hans-Gert Pöttering, Josep Borell Fontelles, Pat Cox, Nicole Fontaine, José Maria Gil Robles, Klaus Hänsch, Egon Klepsch, Enrique Baron Crespo, Lord Henry Plumb, Simone Veil and Emilio Colombo. They also agreed that the Lisbon Treaty should be ratified before the end of the year. (H.B./transl.rt)