Debates

The European Parliament is an exciting place where the political discourse is not defined by national and party-political borders. It is a working parliament in the real sense of the word. Since the end of the 1970s, the hundreds of MEPs have been elected directly by the people of Europe. With every reform of the EU, the powers of the Parliament have grown. And yet, with ever election – 1979, 1984, 1989, 1994, 1999, 2004 and 2009 – its legitimation has decreased, with voter turnout in a downward spiral. What can we expect of the next European elections? That was the subject of the talk given by MMag.Dr. Markus Warasin, who was heading the policy unit (DG Communication) in the European Parliament and thus also offered a look behind the scenes of the European legislative. 

• In 2001 Markus published a EURAC-book on the European information society - a topic that relates both to turn-out in elections as well as to the European public space in wider terms.
• There always have been members from South Tyrol in  the Eurpean Parliament. Since 2009 the South Tyrolean Peoples Party (SVP) is represented by Herbert Dorfmann. His predecessor was Michl Ebner (1994-2009). In this period the following MEPs were - next to Michl Ebner (SVP) - from South Tyrol: Reinhold Messner (1999-2004, at the beginning for the Greens, then as crossbencher); Sepp Kusstatscher (2004-2009, the Greens); Lilli Gruber (2004-2009, Ulivo). Between 1979 and 1994 the SVP was represented by Joachim Dalsass. Next to Dalsass the following MEPs were from South Tyrol: Anselmo Gouthier (1979-1984, Partito Communista Italiano); Alexander Langer (1989-1995, the Greens) and Pietro Mitolo (1992-1994, Movimento Sociale Italiano).