I don't really see how an election that is not about deciding who gets actual power can become important on its own. As long as the EP doesn't actually contest the Commission head, as long as the EP presidency is shared between the two largest parties, as long as the parties aren't all that united, as long as EP votes are decided by motivated MEPs who didn't get elected by themselves (and the MEPs that matter will either be certainly reelected or have been booted from their national lists)... The EP elections won't matter. What's the point of choosing between the 13th guy on the PS list and 20th guy on the UMP list, both guy who won't have any influence, action or even presence in Brussels ?

Un roi sans divertissement est un homme plein de misères