In three days’ time, on April 29, a short film urging young people in Europe to vote, regardless of their choice, will be released. The website “Pagina de media” published the reactions of those who saw the film, professionals from various fields: the artist Mirela Retegan, the journalists Vlad Petreanu and Paula Herlo or the former great gymnastics champion Andreea Răducan.
Mirela ReteganPhoto: European Parliament
The European elections from June 6-9, which in Romania are fixed on June 9, at the same time as the local elections, are the electoral test of citizen participation, which takes place once every 5 years on the continent.
In the previous elections for the European Parliament, in 2019, the overall voter turnout in the Union was 50.6%. In Romania, the attendance was 49%.
Across the continent, it was “the highest turnout since the 1994 election to date, a significant increase from the 2014 election (when turnout was 42.6%),” according to Eurobarometer.
For all age groups, interest was higher in 2019 than in previous elections. But the biggest increase was registered in the case of the younger generations.
Among voters under the age of 25, the increase in participation in 2019 compared to 2014 was 14%. And those aged 25 to 39 had a 12% higher turnout, according to the same source.
And in 2024, the data collected from various countries speak of a potential increase in the involvement of young people in voting. A survey from Romania claims that more of the young people between 18-35 say they will participate in the vote on June 9. The last massive vote on lists was 4 years ago, in the parliamentary elections, when 24% of young people came to vote.
The European Parliament said in March that it would campaign to get greater representation from young people. One of the means is making a clip dedicated to young people. It was shown to a number of communication specialists
The website “Pagina de media” published the unexpected reactions of several professionals, from various professions, who watched the clip. Made of emotional images, it brought tears to the eyes of journalists with decades of experience and investigations, such as Paula Herlo (ProTv – Romania te iubesc), Vlad Petreanu (Europa FM) or Tedora Tompea (Digi24). Pictures showing the reactions are here:
