(Un)intended Consequences of EU Parliamentary Elections

This volume focuses on the consequences of European elections for public debate and involvement, for party systems, and for public opinion. The analyses demonstrate that EP elections have caused a number of intended consequences: the salience of the elections in the media has gone up, and over time electoral competition becomes more important, engaging in the campaign can help improve EU evaluations, and Europe as a topic has become more important for voting at EP elections. A number of intended consequences have not materialized during the life of the EP so far: knowledge or turnout levels have not gone up and citizens have not become better at judging what political parties are offering. The EP elections have, however, also yielded a number of unintended consequences: EP elections dampen turnout for first time voters in subsequent elections, EP elections cause temporary decline in EU support, and the elections have become a strategic arena for political parties to position themselves on EU issues and for new movements and parties to boost or sustain their success.