Commissioner Vassiliou appeals fore wide participation in MEP elections

The erosion of citizen confidence in EU institutions cannot justify their abstention from the upcoming European elections, the European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth Androulla Vassiliou has said.
In her address at the launch of a dialogue with citizens, carried out by the European Commission in cities in all EU member – states, Commissioner Vassiliou said that Europe is going through a crucial period of time which is evidenced by a number of phenomena which are on the rise and experienced by all, such as the economic crisis, austerity policies, youth unemployment, the rise of far-right parties and immigration.
"On the other hand, the search for a Europe that will be able to respond effectively to these issues is a sine qua non and in this environment the upcoming elections certainly have a particular interest and at the same time they have a challenge to meet” Vassiliou said, stressing that the broad participation of people in these elections in particular can help.
She further pointed out that "the erosion of public confidence in the institutions of the EU cannot justify abstention, on the contrary, it justifies the continuation of the current negative situation."