Fifty years from its inception, the European Parliament has moved forward in its competences and popularity. As from 1979, its members have been elected directly by Member States’ nationals and not nominated by their respective governments. This step forward has given this institution a more democratic edge, while putting it closer to European citizens. Since then, several Eurobarometer surveys have been conducted and these have indicated that the European Parliament is the most known European institution and the most trusted one. The latest Eurobarometer survey on this institution was published recently.

This Eurobarometer survey clearly shows that many European citizens are not that aware of the operational characteristics of the European Parliament, such as how MEPs are elected, their number, the basis on which they sit and the date of the upcoming European Parliament elections. There is also a significant lack of knowledge with regard to the year when the European Parliament was set up, as well as with regard to the decision-making process. However, the respondents’ lack of knowledge is evident across the EU. Limited media coverage was the main reason indicated by respondents for their lack of awareness or misinformation on the functions of the European Parliament. Malta was among those countries, scoring 52 per cent, with one out of every two respondents remembering having come across it in the media. European citizens tend not to be aware that most of the time, decisions are taken according to the MEPs’ political affinities. .

Interestingly, all the socio-demographic categories examined in this Eurobarometer reveal that both old and new EU member states show a lack of knowledge on the European Parliament. While the majority of respondents consider the European Parliament as not being well-known, Malta was among 12 other member states whose citizens thought the opposite. Citizens tend, however, to be moderately familiar with two of the competences of the European Parliament, mainly its role in the enlargement process of the European Union and in drawing up the EU budget. Since MEPs are directly elected by member states’ nationals, there is the perception that, to a certain extent, MEPs represent and defend those who elected them and would support their interests at EU level.

Although the general public that participated in this Eurobarometer survey does not have a clearly defined image of this institution, their general impression about it tends to be quite positive and it is perceived as a democratic institution in every member state. With respect to its image, particularly its dynamism and its disposition to listen to its citizens, the European Parliament seems to be constantly evolving and on a larger scale it tends to project quite a positive image. Malta placed first among the EU-27 in considering that the European Parliament listens to its citizens. In fact, as an institution, it is respected by the European citizens when it comes to its status, the importance of its role and the actions that it takes in sensitive issues which the public benefit from.

The majority of respondents felt that the European Parliament has got the potential to strengthen its role in the coming years. When asked about policies they indicated that the European Parliament should be given priority to tackle world issues such as combating terrorism and climate change, and improving consumer and public health protection. Among the policy areas, Maltese respondents gave considerable weight to the development of a common immigration policy, on a par with the development of a common energy policy and the development of an environmentally friendly agricultural policy. European respondents also indicated that the protection of human rights was an important value to be given priority. This could be interpreted to be an enhancement to the institution’s competence that would raise its status when it comes to external affairs.

Brenda Azzopardi is a Research Analyst at Forum Malta fl-Ewropa