Elections to the European Parliament will be held at the end of coming May – that is to say, in only four months’ time. Their outcome will have deep, long-lasting implications – not only for democracy, but also for the practical life of Europe’s citizens. Decisions on how the institutions on which the Euro and the Union are built should continue to be reformed over the next few years will be significantly, if not decisively, influenced by the outcome of these polls – not only due to the power of the Parliament itself, but also due to the powerful signals it can send to the Council regarding how electors stand on furthering European integration in the near future.

This is especially true in the case of the Eurozone countries and, particularly, for those countries most affected by the many recent crises, subject to financial assistance programmes, such as Portugal, which…