EU elections: Europe's youngest MEP on how to engage young people

euronews (in English)

The 2019 European elections saw the highest turnout since 1994 - driven by a surge in youth participation. But what are young people's priorities ahead of this year's elections and how can the EU engage them?

Transcript

00:00 I often hear that I don't have enough experience. I'm 25 now and you have a number of MEPs who

00:06 have been there longer than I have been born. I think to me that's completely crazy."

00:11 June's European parliamentary elections are approaching. Five years ago, a surge in youth

00:16 participation led to the highest turnout in decades.

00:20 25-year-old Kira Marie Peterhansen is Europe's youngest MEP. She says people of all ages

00:28 should have a voice.

00:30 "One thing is having the same job for more than 25 years, but also if you want development

00:38 within policies. Of course it's also good with the experience and the historical knowledge,

00:45 but perhaps that is a point where you can start to think, shouldn't someone else have

00:50 the chance also to make a difference?"

00:53 Last year, the NGO Young European Federalists launched a mass survey to find out what matters

00:58 to Europeans aged between 18 and 35 years old. Priorities included reforming institutions,

01:04 the economy and the climate crisis. But divisions were also apparent.

01:08 "I think air transport was a big divide and the big divide was between the federalism,

01:13 more powers to the European Union for things where we need to pull out our resources against

01:20 more nationalism or sovereign Europe."

01:23 Member states determine how old candidates must be to stand as MEPs and the minimum voting

01:28 age.

01:29 "What we're asking for at the European level is this kind of universality of lowering the

01:33 voting age to 16 years old, because we truly believe that once you're 16 years old, you

01:38 have so many other responsibilities as a young person, as an adolescent. You can work, you

01:44 can pay taxes. Some states such as Austria and Malta have lowered it to 16 years old.

01:50 Some states have lowered it to 17 years old. So we are seeing this trend becoming more

01:56 and more present."

01:57 (whooshing)

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