Italy's main political parties are preparing to publish their lists of candidates for the European elections and seem to have discovered the “attractor factor” of younger candidates, especially the female candidates. On the left, Walter Veltroni, former secretary-general of the PD (Partito Democratico), announced that a 38 year old labour lawyer would be standing in the north-east, a woman called Debora Serracchioni, who has accused the party of losing touch with party members and wasting time in internal party wrangling - the party doesn't seem to bear that against her. The governing PDL party is reported to be taking a different tack. Newspaper Corriere della Sera reports that Silvio Berlusconi is planning to launch a number of young women into the political arena, who have some parliamentary experience but also have experience in other domains, as glamour models, soap opera stars and television personalities. The potential candidates are reported to be undergoing intensive “briefing” by Mario Mauro (Forza Italia, currently one of the vice-presidents of the EP) and the foreign minister, Franco Frattini. Corriere della Sera quotes Silvio Berlusconi, who had initially called for lists of candidates comprising well-prepared people and technicians who would be able to do a good job of defending Italy's position, as now saying: “I want new faces, young faces, to give a new image to the PDL in Europe”. (L.G./transl.fl)