Fighting voter apathy

In a little over a month, between the 4 and 7 June 2009, the EU will held elections to the European Parliament in 27 member states. The European Parliament is the only directly elected body of the European Union and plays an active role in drafting legislation from its headquarters in Brussels.
In the June elections, 736 members of the European Parliament (MEPs) will be elected by proportional representation to represent some 500 million EU citizens, making these the biggest trans-national elections in history. Sensing some voter apathy, specially among the young voters and probably due to the current global economic situation, the European Commission plans to woo these voters with election ads broadcast by MTV Networks, which include Music Television (MTV), Nickelodeon and Comedy Central. Three TV spots will show young people hanging loudspeakers in London, Paris and Rome. MTV is also inviting young people to take part in a “roaring sound wave” across Europe on April 30, when they will all shout “Can you hear me Europe?”