Elections to the European Parliament will be held in Ireland on June 11th this year. For the fifth time since 1979 all citizens of the European Union who are eligible to vote will be able to elect the people who will represent them in the Community institution which has evolved and increased its influence more than any other over the past 20 years.
Whilst voting in the 1979 or 1984 elections to the European Parliament amounted primarily to an act of faith in a future united Europe, electing the European Parliament in 1999 constitutes a democratic duty on a par with that which brings us out to vote in national elections. With the entry into force of the Maastricht and Amsterdam Treaties, the European Parliament has become a body with a crucial role to play both in drawing up Community legislation and in supervising the Union's executive institutions.
As European integration, with varying degrees of success, has taken root as a real part of the everyday life of all citizens, so, at the same time, some of the myths surrounding Europe as a concept have been destroyed. The fear of Brussels or Strasbourg as unknown, "remote" places has helped give rise to currents of opinion which are highly critical of European integration. The European Parliament must faithfully reflect the Europe of today and, by extension, every one of these currents. However, its overriding duty lies in acting as an effective institution serving the interests which all Europeans share.
In recent months the European Parliament has modified many of its internal regulations in order to render the work of its Members more transparent and credible. At the same time we have used our ever increasing powers to monitor the European Commission effectively. During the "mad cow" crisis Parliament played a crucial role in preventing the spread of the epidemic. More recently, it has again spearheaded the beginnings of considerable improvements to the way in which the Commission conducts its business.
There are therefore more than enough reasons why the citizens of Europe should take the forthcoming European elections very seriously. However, I should like to give you two still more compelling reasons. Firstly, the European Parliament is now a co-legislator, enjoying the same powers as the Council when it comes to approving much Community legislation. Secondly, the next Commission President will be unable to take up his or her post unless he or she wins the confidence of Parliament through a binding vote approving his or her nomination. These two powers give the European Parliament virtually the same importance within the EU as that enjoyed by the national parliaments in the Member States.
I am sure that you turn out to vote in your country's local, regional, national or federal elections without fail, in the knowledge that the composition of your local council or national parliament will determine the course of a range of decisions which affect you directly as a citizen. We should all cast our votes in the European Parliament elections this June for the same reason.
