The Commission wants to liven up EU party politics. One of the solutions is to create EU-wide political foundations that can organise debates about the main political issues – see EUObserver. There might be some budget available for these foundations, around 1 million Euro a year according to the article. This will surely mean preaching to the converted though – a series of seminars and events for those of us who already care about EU politics.
I’m sorry, but the EU instiutions have really got to do better than this if they want an interesting party political debate at EU level. It’s currently impossible for voters to tell what changes depending on which way they vote in European Parliament elections – that should be the first matter to change. The Socialists were the largest party between 1994 and 1999, and the EPP-ED thereafter. What voters can tell you the differences? Linking the selection of the Commission President to elections to the European Parliament would also be very handy.
Until either of those things happen, all of these Commission efforts will be little more than a drop in the ocean.
