Athens , 22 May 2009

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Friends,

This year’s European elections come at a time of great challenges. The global economic crisis has created a pessimism in citizens that is discernible in the recent Eurobarometer.

There are many problems, and even more weaknesses. But the challenges opening before us are huge. And of course there is no greater challenge than our winning back the trust of European citizens as a united Europe.

The price of European integration was for policy-making to become more technical and bureaucratic – in some cases even faceless.

Thus, citizens turned away. And this is most true in the case of the young, for whom the heritage of the pioneers of integration is to be found in history books, rather than touching their day-to-day lives. They feel it is not relevant to their concerns, aspirations and desires.

In this climate, the question “What Europe do we want?” is more timely than ever. We, as a government, want “more Europe”. We want Europe to win back the trust of its citizens. We want a Europe that is more democratic, more dynamic, more effective, safe and unified. We want a Europe that is closer to its citizens and less bureaucratic and faceless.

On 7 June, we are voting to put Europe back into action. With boldness, vision, initiatives and actions. We are voting so that the European Union can remain an aspiration, rather than become a chore.

This is the aim of this initiative by the European Parliament Office in Greece: to create a modern, multimedia kiosk – the “Citizens’ Europarliament”. And they deserve our congratulations. Like the European citizens of the other 26 EU member states, Greeks will have the option of expressing their ideas and aspirations for the Europe that they want. They will point up the major issues that bear on their day-to-day lives.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The traditional and new media have a vital role to play in the effort being made to ensure that the citizens’ demand for a more human and less bureaucratic Europe be heard everywhere.

And some may see a tug-of-war between the traditional media (newspapers, radio, television) and new forms of communication like the Web and blogs. But the truth is that each medium continues to have its own particular charm for certain age and population groups.

After all, we mustn’t forget that in the current era, the Medium is the Message. And in the effort to carry citizens’ voices to the decision-making centres of the European Union – and if what is voiced is to impact the day-to-day lives of the people of Europe – we cannot afford to exclude anyone. In particular, we must speak the language of the young, entering every household and activating every citizen who is a user of the new technologies.

My Friends,

The choice we make on 7 June will be of particular importance. It directly concerns every European, every Greek citizen. I is about pursuing matters through European organs. And it is also about capitalizing on the decisions taken there. It is about defending and promoting our interests, our national affairs, and the choices we make for the Europe that we want.

For a “Citizens’ Europarliament”!

Thank you.