EUROPEAN ELECTIONS : SWISS SOCIALISTS ACTIVE IN EUROPEAN ELECTIONS.

Switzerland is not an EU member state and has nothing to do with the European Parliament elections, most people would think. That is not how the Swiss Socialists see it, though. At a recent traditional gathering to present the Swiss Socialist Party's (PSS) New Year wishes to the press, Christian Levrat, president, said he has been in contact for several months with sister parties in EU countries in connection with the election campaign, reports Neue Zurcher Zeitung. The party is primarily interested in EU citizens who live in the Swiss Confederation.

Although the budget is not high, according to Levrat, the PSS intends to make more than a symbolic commitment. Citizens from EU states will be contacted via promotional material, a website and an event in early April in Berne. Communities of foreigners are also targeted: some 1.2 million EU nationals live in Switzerland.

In terms of content, the PSS will leave behind the Swiss debate over whether there should be more Europe or less, and focus on the future direction of EU economic policy...