Conventional wisdom before individual campaigns for the June 2009 European Parliament elections began was that the economy would be the predominant issue. This has changed as some issues – EU expansion in some cases, the parliamentary expenses scandal in the UK – have ratcheted up.
 
In the UK, the parliamentary expenses scandal appears likely to damage both the Tories and Labour to the benefit of euro skeptic and far-right parties such as the UK Independence Party.
 
A YouGov survey done for tabloid daily The Sun showed support for the Tories having fallen from 37 per cent to 29 per cent, Labour at 20 per cent, the Liberal Democrats at 19, while a poll done for the Mail on Sunday gave Labour and the UKIP 17 per cent each.
 
Germany, which has the largest number of MEPs, has seen chancellor Angela Merkel stand together with French president Nicolas Sarkozy to issue a common stand on EU expansion, specifically regarding Turkey, which has angered Ankara by offering a privileged partnership rather than the full membership to which Turkey aspires.
 
In France, while polls indicated that only 47 per cent of citizens intend voting in the European Parliament election, it appears that the largest share will go to Sarkozy’s centre-right ruling party, the Union for a Popular Movement. Playing the Turkey card seems an appropriate move for Sarkozy, with opinion surveys indicating that most French citizens – 67 per cent -- oppose Turkey joining the EU.
 
Sarkozy said that the EU should "stop diluting itself in an enlargement without end".
 
The spin-off from the Sarkozy-Merkel joint position was an acerbic response from Turkish president Abdullah Gul, who accused them of a lack of vision.
 
In Poland, prime minister Donald Tusk, speaking at the launch of the centre-right Civic Platform’s European Parliament campaign, said that Poland was facing a great opportunity.
 
Civic Platform is predicted by polls to get 27 out of Poland's total of 50 MEPs, a major gain, while the right-wing Law and Justice party is to get 14 compared to seven.
 
The EU itself annoyed Poland with a video clip commemorating the 1989 fall of communism, which Warsaw said over-emphasised Germany without mentioning Polish achievements or Solidarity. Poland's ambassador to the EU, Jan Tombinski, said the clip could sour the public mood towards the EU ahead of the European Parliament elections. Media reports said that the EC would make changes to the clip to meet Polish concerns.
 
In Ireland, the dominant Fianna Fail party is said to be facing a rout in European Parliament elections. Ireland is also the place of birth of Libertas, the euro skeptic movement that is seeking votes in the EP elections in other countries such as Poland.
 
Athens-based daily Kathimerini said that the ruling New Democracy and PASOK had named their candidates but the latest poll done for Kathimerini suggested that "they could have a tough task on their hands attracting voters’ interest as almost one in 10 Greeks is not intending to cast a ballot on June 7".
 
As expected, Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis chose former Education Minister Marietta Giannakou to head the ND list of 22 candidates for next month’s poll. PASOK leader George Papandreou did not spring any surprises either as he placed the party’s current spokesman, Giorgos Papaconstantinou, at the head of the Socialists’ ticket.
 
"The latest opinion poll conducted by Public Issue for Sunday’s Kathimerini does not make encouraging reading for Karamanlis and Giannakou as it suggests that support for ND is running at just 21 percent – 5.5 per cent behind PASOK," the newspaper said.
 
From Bucharest, Financiarul quoted Romanian prime minister Emil Boc, introducing the Democrat Liberal (PD-L) candidates, as saying that the main message that should be sent the voters is that they should turn out to vote, since the "most important elections in post-December 1989 Romania" are going to be held on June 7.
 
"The Government has managed to exceed the performances of the old Government and we are on the right track in attracting the European funds," Boc said.
 
From Malta – the EU state that has the fewest MEPs – Malta Today quoted prime minister Lawrence Gonzi, presenting 50 objectives in his PN party manifesto for the June 6 European Parliament elections, as criticizing Labour MEPs whose "alienation in matters irrelevant to their position led to irreversible mistakes in voting on key issues."
 
Gonzi called on voters to choose candidates who work in the national interest, rather than ones "who ‘tell on us’ to the EU". He made reference to Labour MEPs who, he said, spent their time "touring the world" instead of following their line of duty.