This Tuesday, the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, made a visit to the Danish Parliament, which was her second visit in just nine months. This time, it was a matter of a so-called working visit focused on the upcoming elections to the European Parliament, taking place in Denmark on 9 June.

She was received on the Grand Staircase by the Speaker of the Danish Parliament – as it is customary practice when receiving distinguished guests. Roberta Metsola subsequently met with a mixed group of members of the Danish Parliament, comprising members of the Presidium of the Danish Parliament, special committee chairmen, Danish members of the European Parliament as well as the leading candidates in the upcoming elections to the European Parliament.

Voter participation with respect to the elections to the European Parliament varies significantly from one member state to the next. At the most recent elections, participation was 88 per cent for Belgium and 23 per cent for Slovakia, respectively. In Denmark, the outcome of the voter participation was 66 per cent. 

Attracting more voters to the ballot boxes and, hence, achieving increased democratic legitimacy behind the decisions made by the European Parliament, is foremost in Roberta Metsola’s mind.

»I absolutely share Roberta Metsola’s objective of having more voters take an interest in the EU. To some, the EU may seem distant. However, the EU exerts considerable influence on our everyday lives. Many of the bills adopted by the Danish Parliament are, in fact, rooted in the EU. Issues with implications across borders require solutions by united efforts. It is therefore important to take an interest in politics within a European framework,« says the Speaker of the Danish Parliament, Søren Gade.

For instance, in addition to the upcoming elections to the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola also discussed the plans for beginning negotiations of incorporating Ukraine and Moldovia into the EU and granting Georgia candidacy status.