At the last European elections, in 2019, only 27% of 18-24-year-olds registered to vote, and 36% of 25-34-year-olds turned out to vote (IFOP-Fiducial survey). These figures, though low, already represented an increase of more than 10 points on the previous poll, in 2014. As the French are once again called upon to elect their members of the European Parliament on June 9, the issue of turnout is once again at the heart of ongoing debates.
This was not lost on Fabienne Servan-Schreiber, director of Cinétévé, the production company behind the series Parlement, whose three seasons depicting the inner workings of the European machine in Brussels have enthralled 7 million viewers. The Europhile wanted to contribute in her own way.
These days, Parlement is catching up with the electoral calendar by publishing eight 30-second videos that use the visual, stylistic and sound identity of the series to encourage people over 18 to vote on June 9. The main characters (Samy, the new parliamentary assistant turned political advisor, and Michel Specklin, the old-timer MEP) appear in comedic sketches that end with a clear message: "Vote!"
It's a way of extending the spirit of the series, created by scriptwriter and director Noé Debré, and born of a desire, said Servan-Schreiber, "to bring Europe into the public imagination through fiction." Comedy, drama and touching characters make the European Parliament as exciting a setting as the White House or Louis XIV's court at Versailles.
Getting the European message across
Thanks to Servan-Schreiber's perseverance, the idea for this unique campaign came from Jean-Marc Lieberherr. Grandson of Jean Monnet (1888-1979), one of the "fathers of Europe," the 57-year-old businessman created the institute bearing his illustrious grandfather's name in 2021. Passing on the European message to younger generations is one of the fundamental aims of this organization, which is financed mainly by donations and has around 100 active members. "Youth has been at the heart of the European project since its origins," he said. "When my grandfather set about implementing this great idea of building a new world on the ruins of war, he immediately surrounded himself with 30-somethings who shared this ideal."
Nearly 80 years on, Europe, often perceived as "bureaucratic and a bit gray," can only benefit from the revamp to which Parlement successfully contributes. "The series humanizes the institutions. Even if it means ridiculing them, of course, but when something is mocked, it's something you make your own," said Lieberherr.
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