In a little more than three weeks voters in this State will be asked to elect 15 representatives to the European Parliament. Nominations have already closed and campaigns by the various parties are underway. In the past, there was a tendency by both the electorate and the political parties to treat the European Parliament as being of limited importance, a place where the pay and expenses were extremely good and the work not terrible taxing. This negative perception flowed from the pre-1979 era when members of the parliament were appointed by political parties, rather than directly elected. Since then, however, major changes have occurred in both the power and influence of the parliament, as Member States moved to address the "democratic deficit" within the European Union.
But there is still a worry that, as a people, we do not treat the European Parliament and its members with sufficient seriousness. In 1994, the level of apathy amongst the Irish electorate was such that only 44 per cent turned out to vote in the European elections. Participation in a general election normally exceeds 66 per cent. To prevent a repetition of that embarrassing outcome, the Government arranged for local elections to be held in tandem with the European contest on this occasion. The intention was to maximise voter turnout and to create an impression that Irish people are committed Europeans.
Of the fifteen seats Ireland has been allocated in the European Parliament, Fianna Fail at present holds 7; Fine Gael 4; the Green Party 2; the Labour Party 1 and Independents 1. These figures show a gain of one seat for Fianna Fail over 1989, with the Green Party making a spectacular breakthrough with two seats. A similar volatility may be evident on this occasion, because of the work of the various tribunals and recent political controversies. The pattern of previous contests would suggest, however, that personalities and environmental and social issues will have more influence with the electorate than economic or ideological considerations.
It would be a grave mistake for the public to equate these elections with those dealing with local government, which also take place on June 11th. The European Parliament has enjoyed a rapid accretion of powers since the Single European Act granted it the right to hold second readings on legislative proposals from the EU Commission and to accept or reject applications for accession from would-be Member States. It also has the power to ratify a new Commission, or to dismiss it - as was threatened this year before it resigned - and to amend or reject the EU budget.
The Maastricht Treaty increased those legislative powers and gave the parliament the right to establish Committees of Inquiry. And the Amsterdam Treaty has extended those powers still further. These changes have made the European Parliament a more powerful institution and the process of evolution and growth is still underway. In such circumstances, only the best, the brightest and most committed candidates should be sent there as Irish representatives.