As the European elections are coming up in early June, the European Union is going to great lengths to get young people involved in voting – including, it seems, asking famous artists, actors, athletes and other stars for help.
The EU wants to get the help of famous artists well-liked by young people to mobilise voters – with Rosalía, Måneskin, Dua Lipa, Stromae and Angèle high on the list of world stars that Brussels aims to approach in the coming days, The Brussels Times has learned.
Other artists, as well as athletes and actors with a big enough fanbase, will likely be approached to encourage young people to vote in June. The aim is to select celebrities from all over the EU, aiming to reach as many citizens across the 27 Member States as possible.
The European Way of Life?
This comes days after an unexpected request was made by the EU Commissioner for Promoting the European Way of Life, Margaritis Schinas, during a press conference on Wednesday, when he asked US singer Taylor Swift to mobilise her European fans to vote in the elections for the European Parliament this June.
"No one can mobilise young people better than young people, that's how it works," said Schinas. "That works better than Commissioners speaking from the press room, I think."
Underlining his point, he gave the example of Swift's impact on the American elections last year. "Last September, she made a social media call to young Americans to register to vote. The day after her post, 35,000 young Americans had registered to vote."
Taylor Swift. Credit: Belga
"Now, Taylor Swift will be in Europe in May," Schinas said, referring to the start of the European leg of her record-breaking Eras Tour in spring 2024. "On 9 May – which is Europe Day – she will be in Paris for a concert."
"So I very much hope that she does the same for young Europeans and I very much hope that someone from her media team follows this press conference and relays this request to her," he added.
On social media, Schinas' appeal to enlist Swift was criticised for being "unserious," but some people also pointed out the irony of the Commissioner for Promoting the European Way of Life calling on an American popstar to mobilise voters.
There are plenty of famous stars in the EU, they emphasised. Suggestions online have ranged from Belgium's Angèle to Italian pop rock band Måneskin, but also included English-Albanian singer Dua Lipa, for example.
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Additionally, the request comes at a time when opinion polls are showing the far-right making big gains across the bloc. "Young Europeans can become a wall of democracy next June against this wave of populism and hate that threatens to attack Europe," Schinas said.
"Now it is the moment for [youth] to have a say in the ballot box, to attribute praise or blame on European policies. And it is therefore crucial, I think, that we have a high level of participation of young Europeans in the June elections," he added.
Voter turnout for the European Parliament elections varies greatly between countries but has historically been rather low. However, in 2019, the figure stood at 50.66% – the first time it exceeded the 50% threshold since 1994.
A Eurobarometer survey held immediately after the election showed that the increase was largely due to youth participation, especially those under 25 years old. This year, four Member States (Belgium, Germany, Malta and Austria) are also allowing 16-17-year-old citizens to vote.
