EP and the EESC to cooperate on European elections campaign
In the run-up to May 2019 European Elections, Parliament President Antonio Tajani and EESC President Luca Jahier signed a cooperation agreement on Wednesday.
The European Parliament and the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) have agreed to undertake a series of actions to raise awareness among civil society organisations and the public about the European elections and to encourage their participation.
President Antonio Tajani said: “The European Parliament is committed to responding to the needs and priorities of citizens - especially on jobs, growth, security, migration and climate change. We all have a stake in these elections and we have a duty to inform. The EESC can play a key role in engaging social partners and wider civil society in this election campaign that will determine the future of Europe”.
President Luca Jahier said: “There is no other alternative than being together. There is no way back. I am very happy to work together with President Tajani to reassert these values. YES to ThisTimeImVoting, but for us at the EESC, it's also ThisTimeImActing”.
At the next European elections, taking place on 23-26 May, eurosceptics and populists will use any arguments to turn public opinion to their advantage, the two presidents agreed. Citizens should remain vigilant, take pride in our achievements and develop a new sense of belonging to our common European project.
To achieve that, EU institutions have to react with substantiated facts to counteract fake news and make sure that the truth is not overshadowed by propaganda.
Common projects include awareness-raising campaigns as part of all major activities organised by the EESC, including in the Citizens’ Convention to be held early in 2019, the 2019 edition of "Your Europe, Your Say" focused on the elections and youth participation as well as a seminar for journalists with a focus on civil society in an election year.