EU elections: Low Polish turnout in sight 

Despite prominent personalities calling on the Polish electorate to vote in the EU elections, Poland is sailing towards the poll with no real debate on Europe, its institutions, the Lisbon Treaty or entrance to the euro zone. 

According to the left-wing Lewica party's club leader, Wojciech Olejniczak, the blame lies squarely at the feet of the Civic Platform, which failed to spell out the importance of the European elections to Poles.

Poles' poor attendance at electoral gatherings indicates their disinterest. In a recent debate organised by the University of Gdańsk, only nine participants turned up, of which four were EU candidates.

Sociologist Brunon Synak noticed that interest in the EU elections among his students is even smaller than that of Polish society at large. 

The country's president, Lech Kaczyński, and the president of the parliament's lower house are trying to encourage people to go to the polls, but with mixed results. 

Kaczyński said the EU election would be almost as important as the historic parliamentary elections of 20 years ago. On 4 June 1989, Poland became the first country in the Soviet bloc to break the Communist monopoly in the parliament. 

The president of the Sejm (the lower House of the Polish parliament), Bronisław Komorowski (PO), said Poland should serve as a good example to the EU, as "it is a country of new EU hopes". 

"Europe's future depends to a large extent on our engagement, our voice and presence," emphasised Archbishop of Lublin Józef Życiński. 

As in the past, some representatives of the Catholic Church in Poland are encouraging people to vote and show their responsibility towards a united Europe. 

The majority of the clergy remains neutral, however, emphasising only the importance of the democratic action. 

Still more, appearing on radical radio station Radio Maryja, are trying to promote only parties or candidates which spell out Catholic doctrine. 

Synak said the Polish EU election campaign had made a rather weak impression. Debates and disputes among candidates and party leaders on television do not seem to have engaged citizens, who are left stranded in a political vacum searching for clues, he added. 

Nevertheless, according to the TNS poll, Poles remain the most pro-European society in the EU (61%).