ABSTRACT
This chapter describes and compare the 2009 campaigns for the European Parliament (EP), and to assess the implications with respect to public interest and issue knowledge in these elections. The chapter focuses on the campaign messages in the spots and posters of the main participants in the EP election during the last three weeks prior to the Election Day. In analysing the results of the campaign posters and TV spots during the 2009 EP election campaign, it was challenging to trace down the main messages of the participating political parties. The main commonality identified here is the lack of European issues in campaign messages, which instead focused on national concerns. All parties, perhaps not surprisingly, tried to appeal to their traditional voter blocks and criticize their traditional opponents and stances in matters unrelated to the EU.
