European Elections: the time for choice - the French case

13x20 cm ; 112 pages ; 10 €
ISBN : 978-2-917 433-05-8
Editor : Fondation Robert Schuman


The European Parliament elections on 6th and 7th June 2009 appear to be a key moment for Europeans who want to influence how the EU is run by providing them with a chance to make both a civic, partisan and patriotic choice.
It is a civic choice since they will be able to appoint directly the representatives who enjoy major normative and budgetary powers and also control – these powers have been growing constantly for the last thirty years.
It is a partisan choice since it will lead to the appointment of representatives whose decisions are defined on ideological bases. The depth of difference is confirmed by a consultation of the party programmes running in the election in June.
Finally it is a national choice, because the elections on 6th and 7th June will comprise a decisive event in terms of France's influence on a community level.
By trying to decipher this triple choice and by using unique data this “Note” aims to inform about the European Parliament and to reveal the issues at stake in the next European Parliament elections.


The authors:

Yves Bertoncini teaches European issues at the IEP in Paris, at the Corps des Mines and the ENA. He is Secretary General of Europanova.

Thierry Chopin, is a Research Director at Robert Schuman Foundation. He is professor at the College d'Europe (Bruges), he teaches at the Corps des Mines and at the IEP in Paris (Sciences Po). He is an associate expert at the CERI.

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