Seeking youth involvement in June’s European elections

Brussels – A more democratic and representative Europe with an eye toward young people: Some 359 million eligible voters will be able to go to the polls between June 6 and June 9 to choose how to direct the future of the Union, and, according to Eurostat, more than 23 million will participate in their first European vote.

In the last election, in 2019, 50.66 per cent of eligible voters turned up at the polls. That number was 8 points more than the previous round of elections, reaching a peak in participation since 1994. In 2019, it was precisely young people who drove the turnout: +14 per cent among those under 25 and +12 among 25-39-year-olds compared to 2014. The goal—and the hope—is that the participation will continue to grow in 2024. In this, the youth vote will play a key role.

To bring young people closer to institutions, five countries have lowered the voting age in European elections: 16 for Austria, Germany, Belgium, and Malta, and 17 for Greece. Despite this, only six MPs under the age of 30 were elected in 2019. The small number of young MPs is partly attributable to the minimum age required to be elected: 21 in nine states, 23 in Romania, and 25 in Greece and Italy. Lowering the voting age is the battle of Maria Rodriguez Alcazar, chairwoman of the European Youth Forum: “When young people start voting at a young age, they are more likely to vote later,” thus highlighting the importance of bringing politics and young people closer together from the start.

According to an Ipsos survey, at the European level, the most heartfelt issue among those who have already decided to go to the polls is the fight against climate change. Indicated as such by as many as 69 per cent of Danes and 67 per cent of Portuguese polled. In contrast, Poles, Czechs, and Finns consider the issue not a priority. Awareness toward climate change is transversal across age groups, but only 32 per cent of European voters surveyed believe the EU has had favourable effects on environmental protection.