In Berlin, Prague and Milan, hundreds of young people have gathered under the direction of music station MTV to shout "Can you hear me Europe?" at the top of their lungs. Young people have a stubborn reputation as notorious non-voters in European elections. Can MTV itself succeed in getting the MTV generation to change their ways and cast their vote?

The initiative for MTV's 'Can You Hear Me Europe?' campaign comes from the European Commission. So too does the funding. Surprisingly, this is the first time that the Commission has focused so actively on the elections. Caution is advised, explains spokesman Joe Hennon.

"We don't want to be the grey, faceless bureaucrats who think we know best. So we don't tell people we would like them to do it this way or that way. What we do is we say we would like to achieve X or Y, and it's up to them to come up with ideas."

Channels of communication

The competition to win the assignment was open to all applicants. The fact that one of the candidates turned out to be Mostra - a partner of the mighty music station MTV - came as something of a relief, admits Hennon.

"Most young people don't read the broadsheets in their countries. Most of them listen to radio or watch television programmes, but not necessarily news programmes. When we were looking at our communication strategy, part of that is using the channels of communication that people use themselves in their daily lives. Music is certainly a language, it's a communication in itself. And MTV is in millions of households across the EU. So we thought this represented quite good value for money."

Medium and message

In June, over 30 million Europeans will be able to vote for the first time. Getting young people to exercise this right is always a tricky business. And even more so at the European elections, where the turnout tends to be low across the board. At the last European elections in 2004, people under the age of 24 were the main non-voters.

But according to Sanna Franssen of the National Youth Council, the biggest problem is not the medium of communication but the message itself. In her role as youth representative for European Affairs, she organises guest classes for schools, with the aim of making young people more aware of what Europe can do for them.

A good start?

Sanna Franssen did not take part in the shouting matches in Berlin, Prague and Milan. "It's a shame that it coincided with Queen's Day here in the Netherlands." But her organisation was approached, along with many other European youth organisations, to make sure that MTV would not end up being embarrassed by a disappointing turnout of its own.

"I think it's an interesting campaign, but I also think it's only a start. Perhaps we need to go further than simply shouting 'Europe can you hear me?' It'll take more than that to keep young people interested in Europe once the elections are over. For us that means informing young people. Letting them know what significance Europe can have for us."

The young motivate the young?

In Prague, Berlin and Milan, dozens of young people gathered at the agreed time. After a countdown by the MTV presenters, they let forth an almighty yell. Though admittedly it didn't exactly shake Berlin's famous Alexanderplatz to its very foundations.

"I don't know what party I should vote for," acknowledges one young man on the square. "I reckon the reason why so many young people don't vote is that they don't know either." One of his fellow shouters adds: "The best way to motivate young people is through other young people."

MTV will now incorporate the crowds of shouting young potential voters into ads for the upcoming elections. Five years ago the percentage turnout among the target group failed to rise above their age. It remains to be seen whether this new approach will succeed in bucking that trend.

Perro de Jong and contributions from Laurens Boven in Berlin

Radio Netherlands