Special emphasis will be attached to the European elections in 1999. Information about the European elections will be combined with an extensive municipal data file gathered at the department of political science over a long period of a time. The aim is to create a foundation for systematic analysis of the results of the European elections which can be seen as serving the interests of the media as well. The year 1999 will be an important one in the political life of the Union member states, particularly in Finland. The legitimacy of the EMU decisions will be assessed in the European elections in 1999 in every member state, including Finland, where the European Union presidency adds to the momentousness of the time.
European elections are a particularly significant event in another sense as well.
When elections act as a medium of political representation they confer legitimacy on the elected institution even if it is not politically very influential. In addition, in the case of the European Union where legitimacy is dual, arising from the legitimacy of popularly elected governments, the elections for the European Parliament represent a more direct form of legitimation. The 1999 European and national elections will also be important with regard to feelings of national and European identity. The more significant issues of identity become in the political agenda, the more the political parties and movements direct their attention to these questions. They need to take a stand as to whether they are for or against the European Union and thus risk possibly losing a considerable number of their divergent adherents.