For many people, particularly those struggling to make ends meet, the European Parliament elections can seem very remote from the reality of their lives. It is tempting to either ignore the elections entirely or use them to make a statement about national politics or the personality of candidates.
This would be a mistake.
Over the life of the new parliament, the European Union and its Member States will face fundamental choices about what type of society and economy to build after the recession. These choices will affect everyone but, like the decisions taken during the recession and before, they will have the sharpest impact on people experiencing poverty, social exclusion and discrimination.
