EPP President Daul to EuroFora on Capitals' tour for May EU Election: Abstention No1 issue to settle

*Strasbourg/EU Parliament +Historic Town Hall/Angelo Marcopolo/- "Abstention" is the No 1 Risk in the forthcoming May 2014 EU Parliament Election, stressed the President of the biggest Political Party in the EU, that of ChristianDemocrats/EPP, French MEP from Strasbourg, Joseph Daul, speaking to "EuroFora", while preparations are still on-going and Open to even more Candidates for the choice of the best EPP's Representative for the Top Job of next EU Commission's President for the period of 2014-2019, due to be finally determined, for the 1st time in History according to the EU Electoral results.

- "No, there is nothing more important for us to do now, than to simply try to convince the People to go out and Vote", in the May EU Election, Daul replied to an "EuroFora" Question about what he thinks to be "the Key" of the present, 2014  EU Parliament's Elections, as things stand until now, and "according to (his) Experience", compared to the previous, 2009, 2004, 1999, 1994 or 1989, to which he has succesfully taken an active part personaly, even Winning, in the most recent one : that of the current EU Parliament, issued from the 2009 EU Elections, an unprecedentedly Large Victory for his Party, the ChristianDemocrats/EPP, both at a European, National and even Regional level under his Leadership, (See, f.ex. : ......).

Experienced EU Observers have indeed noted that an eventual worsening in 2014 of the 1999-2004 sharp rise of unprecedented Majority Abstention in EU Parliament's Elections, (in addition to EuroScepitc parties' uprise) as some Polls warn, might Weaken the European Integration's Forces, at the precise moment that they Need the Maximum possible of Democratic Legitimacy in order to Advance decisively at the completion mainly of €uroZone's Economic Governance, as well as on EU's Security/Defence policy, etc., which are currently of Crucial Importance both in order to guarantee and protect a Decent Level of Life to EU Citizens, and  in order to Strengthen EU's role in the World.

 - This impression exists while Daul is concluding a Fast-track plan to visit all 28 EU Member States' capitals, to meet National EPP Leaders, including some 14 Heads of State/Government, which ends soon, (after having also been "last week in Berlin"), with "2 more trips", as he told "EuroFora" : A Flight to "Sweden, on Friday", followed by "Cyprus".

Officialy, the aim of this unprecedented exercice by an hyperactive and motivated Daul, is mainly to assess the chances of each one among the 3 Candidates, known Today, for the new job of PanEuropean Leader of all the ChristianDemocrat/EPP candidates in the EU Elections, created by EU's Lisbon Treaty, on the basis of which, the Winner among all EU Parties is due to be considered as the right choice for the New EU Commission's President for the period of 2014-2019.

- As he ascertained to "EuroFora", Daul has now "3 declared Candidates" in his cards, among whom must be chosen the Party's prefered one, in a special Congress at Dublin, Ireland, on the 6 and 7 March 2014 :

- The until recently Prime Ministers of Latvia and Luxembourg, Valdis Dombrovskis (from the 1st Baltic Country to enter €uroZone), and Jean-Claude Juncker (€uroGroup's long-time former President), respectively, as well as EU Commissioner for Markets, former Foreign affairs, Agriculture and Environment/Spatial Planning Minister, Michel Barnier of France.

- On the contrary, the earlier mentioned acting Prime Minister of Finland, Jyrki "Katainen is not presenting himself " to the vote finally, as he revealed.

+ And,"on Monday I shall meet anew to discuss with Dombrovskis", Daul said to "EuroFora", leaving the outcome officialy  open. But, at least Juncker and Barnier are generaly expected to "go up to a Vote" by EPP's Congress at Dublin.

++ Questioned by "EuroFora" whether he personaly expects any Spectacular, last-minute Surprise, f.ex. by a High-Standing, Top Political Figure, Daul appeared reserved and enclined to reply negatively, believing that, at least as things stand until now, it seems that there is "no chance" for a "last ininute" bid by a new Top Candidate,  but, naturally, he could not exclude it, (particularly when it's with the active presence, at the latest EPP Summit back on December 2013 i Brussels of German Chancellor Merkel, that the Decision was officially taken to "Wait until the 5th of March, included",  for any possible Candidates to declare themselves at the eve of the forthcoming EPP Summit at Dublin : 6 to 7 March)...

- Questioned by "EuroFora" if, -given also the current Polls, which indicate a Strong presenve of the Rightists, as well as some Leftists, both accused to be more or less "EuroSceptic", as well as a Majority Abstention as since 1999 -  he might think that EU's political situation needs an Euro-Politician of the kind of former French President Nicolas Sarkozy's 2007 and 2009 winnin capacity to Attract and Unite together both these 2 apparently differend Segments of the Population, while, at the same time, boosting Participation, by crashing Abstentionism, Daul reacted mainly by supposing that Sarkozy would not intend do that now :

  - "Oh, I don't think that he's gonna do that. He wouldn't engage himself Now", Daul speculated, incredible, in reply to "EuroFora"s "S" Question, (apparently meaning that he's not sure at all that Sarkozy might Wish himself to start his long-awaited official return back to active, everyday Politics at this precise moment, even if it could be at an EU Level)...  Something which, naturally, does not exclude at all, a priori, the possibility for Sarkozy to eventually enter anew, if he wants, to the Top EU Political Decision-making circles, later-on, i.e. with the agreement of most EU Leaders, due to make a series of Choices for "several Top EU Jobs", at the forthcoming Summer/Autumn period of 2014, as Chancellor Merkel has recently stressed at another occasion in Brussels, and according to relevant political EU-wide developments, (f.ex. concerning €uroZone Countries, etc). Even if it's obviously true, that the "Natural" Sarkozy element, notoriously are, above all, the Speeches and Public Debates open vis a vis the People, as in a "Hot" Electoral struggle... 

    - However, Daul is conscious of the fact that, according to the latest EU-wide polls, even if the ChristianDemocrats of the EPP might anew win the 1st place among EU Parliament's various Political Groups, nevertheless, this risks to be now (on 2014) just with a few MEPs' Difference compared to the Socialists, and while "losing some 50 MEPs" in 2014 compared to the 2009 EU Elections, as he added later-on.

    Naturally, in such an hypothesis, he obviously would believe always possible for EU Parliament to be "piloted" through a kind of flexible entente between the 3 Biggest "pro-European" Political Parties, (generally considered to be that of ChristianDemocrats/EPP, Socialists and Liberals), but such a (not 100% certain) Scenario might, eventually, raise some issues of Democratic Alternance, Transparency, and/or even Clarity of Political Choices interesting most EU Citizens, while, also being, naturally, dependent on what might be the quantitative and qualitative evolution regarding various other, both Rightist and Leftist EuroSceptic Parties in the forthcoming Future.
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     - On the contrary, among "the most convinced Europeans"  are often People like those of Strasbourg's Alsace region, who had Suffered a lot in the Past, during Decades of Hostility between France and Germany before. "That's why", f.ex.,  "EU Parliament HQ's Building is in Strasbourg, as a Strong Symbol of Franco-German Reconciliation, Basis on which EU was built, as well as of Democracy", observed later Tonight Daul, during a Reception at the Historic City Hall's main room, where even CoE was created, back on 1949, on the occasion of the Award of Honorary Citizens' Medals to the President of ChristianDemocrats/EPP, by Mayor Roland Ries, as well as to the long-time EU Parliament's vice-President, Miguel-Angel Martinez, (a former CoE Assembly's Chair too, from Spain's Socialdemocrats), who stressed that he'll never forget EU's Help in France for persecuted Political Refugees' Children to find a Refuge with their Family and study at School until a former Military Regime is transformed into a European Democracy, as he said, and EU Parliament's Quaestor, Astrid Lulling, a ChristianSocial (CSU) from Luxembourg, who had started to serve as the Youngest Woman MEP since CECA's 1st Parliamentary gathering, at CoE's premisses in Strasbourg, as she reminded.

     - Peace, Freedom and Democracy "have no price", reacted on this occasion President Daul to some Brittish and other EuroSceptics who reportedly complain for the alleged Costs of EU Parliament in Strasbourg, largely exagerated, as he pointed out, reminding also all those Victims who were Killed, wounded, imprisoned, and/or forced to Flee their Family Homes and Ancestral Land as Refugees, etc., because of the Hard Conflicts of the Past, that EU Construction succeeded to overcome during the last 69 Years.

    - F.ex. "I feel Proud when some people Accuse me to be "too close to Germans", stressed French Top MEP Joseph Daul, reminding the fact that, just after 3 Wars, (between 1870 -1945), "Political Courage" was needed in order to defnitively "overcome Mistrust" between French and German People, (including, at the beginning, even of his own Father), because of the severe Sufferings and even Horible Crimes provoked during the Conflicts of the Past, before EU succeeds to  start building Reconciliation, Peace, Freedom and Democracy, that, particularly "Young People", should have a chance to better learn Today, mainly by cultivating and protecting the "Collective Memory", as, f.ex., with Projects such as that to build, near the former NAZI Concentration Camp of Struthof, near Strasbourg, also a Building resuming 69 Years of on-going still European Construction, and what it already has had, and/or still has to bring to EU Citizens at present and in the foreseable Future, even, currently, "by acting for 28 Member Countries, only with a Budget smaller than that of France's Education Ministry", as he noted, but also with our elementary "Values of Human Rights and Democracy", living all Together in an area where Young People a.o. can Move and meat eachother easily, (thanks f.ex. to "Shengen"s Free Movement, and "Erasmus" EU Funding of Studies Abroad, etc), even if we still need to Build Together much more and Better in the Future.

    - Meanwhile, "if somebody doesn't like the EU, he can get Out of it, whenever he likes, and experience how it's to live alone among the present World's upheavals. I'm sure he will soon come back running inside the EU !", concluded President Daul, (apparently pointing at some Brittish EuroSceptics' alleged plans, and those that they might influence)...