EurActiv.com - EU elections: Low Polish turnout in sight | EU - European Information on EU Elections 09

Only a third of Poles plan to vote in the EU elections, according to the latest TNS opinion poll commissioned by the European Parliament. Meanwhile the two main parties, the ruling liberal Civic Platform (PO) and the opposition conservative Law and Justice (PiS) are arguing about history and Polish-German relationship, reports EurActiv.pl.

Despite prominent personalities calling on the Polish electorate to vote in the EU elections, Poland is sailing towards the poll with no real debate on Europe, its institutions, the Lisbon Treaty or entrance to the euro zone

EurActiv.com - German Social Democrats pave way for Barroso II | EU - European Information on EU Treaty & Institutions

European Commission President José Manuel Barroso seems well-placed to win a second term after the leader of Germany's Social Democrats, Franz Müntefering, said yesterday (27 May) that there was little point in the European Socialists naming their own alternative candidate in an attempt to halt the incumbent's re-appointment.

Müntefering's comments came as a boost to the former Portuguese prime minister's hopes of retaining his post when his five-year mandate expires later this year.

Müntefering told reporters that Barroso, backed by his party, the European People's Party, had done a competent job as head of the EU executive and had the support of some centre-left governments in Europe, including his native Portugal, neighbouring Spain and the UK.

Asked if Europe's centre-left would put up a challenge, he replied: "What would the point of that be?" "It would be naive to do that. There are 27 EU countries and 21 of those are led by conservative governments. And at least two others, Portugal and Spain, are for Barroso. Do you think the other four should put up a challenge?" he said.

Presseurop: Portugal little aware of election date

Portugal has begun its campaigning for the European Parliamentary elections. Only eight percent of the Portuguese know the ballot for them will be held on June 7, and turnout is being predicted to reach only 24 percent.

Launch of the campaigns has come with squabbling over how much the competing parties aim to spend. As the ruling Socialists's top candidate is Vital Moreira, an academic and specialist in constitutional law, began his rounds, the party was tipped to take 39 percent of the vote.

Guardian: Tragic, unwise: Conservative grandees turn on UK's David Cameron over plans for European Union

A group of Tory grandees and former senior diplomats will tomorrow launch a devastating attack on David Cameron's flagship Eurosceptic policies, warning that they pose a threat to British influence in the European Union.
On the eve of the European elections, the Tory leader stands accused of adopting a "rigid commitment to impotence" after he pledged to withdraw from the main centre-right grouping in the European parliament.
Cameron, who will appear alongside highly conservative EU allies in Warsaw tomorrow, goes into the European elections next Thursday on the most hardline Eurosceptic ticket of any mainstream political leader since Britain entered the EEC in 1973.

euronews: Bulgarian vote as corruption verdict

A growing desire to claw down corruption is expected to bring higher-than-average numbers of Bulgarians out to vote in the European Parliamentary elections.

Last year, the EU punished Sofia for failing to crack down effectively by freezing some 500 million euros in EU aid.

Surveys show most Bulgarians approve of the EU measure and trust the EU institutions more than the Balkan country's own parliament and government.

Parallel realities: so Labour comes in third in both cases but the UKIP and the Lib Dems are each second and fourth in one of the polls?

Disaster for Gordon Brown as Labour falls below Lib Dems in new poll - Telegraph (31 May 2009)		Poll reveals Labour heading for election humiliation - Times Online (May 30, 2009)
Asked who they would support in a general election, only 22 per cent of voters back Labour, with the party slumping behind both the Conservatives on 40 per cent and, crucially for Mr Brown's future, the Liberal Democrats who are on 25 per cent.		The overall general election standings put the Conservatives on 41 per cent, up two percentage points since the Populus poll this month, Labour on 21 per cent - down five points - and the Liberal Democrats on 15 per cent, down seven points.
[For the European Elections]		But a different picture emerges when people were asked how they will vote on Thursday.
Labour again comes third with just 17 per cent, down from the 22.5 per cent the party achieved in what was judged a poor performance in the last set of such elections, in 2004.		Labour drops nine points to 16 per cent
The Conservatives lead in today's poll with 29 per cent, while the Lib Dems are on 20 per cent.		The Conservatives drop four points to 30 per cent, compared with the poll three weeks ago ... and the Liberal Democrats fall eight points to 12 per cent.
The United Kingdown Independence Party (UKIP), which has achieved scores rivalling Labour's in recent polls, only gets 10 per cent and is beaten into fifth place by the resurgent Greens, who are on 11 per cent.		UKIP are the beneficiaries, rising 13 points to 19 per cent, ahead of Labour and the Liberal Democrats. The Greens rise to 10 per cent
The British National Party (BNP), meanwhile, is flatlining on 5 per cent.		and the BNP is up three points at 5 per cent.

Paragraphs on the right have been rearranged to match the ones on the left.

The brainless should not be in banking. — Willem Buitler