Song Contest teaches enthusiasm for Europe

While Europe's politicians do nothing to stir our hearts in the run-up to the European elections, the Eurovision Song Contest is bringing Europe - and Europeans - together, Romanus Otte writes in the daily Die Welt: "For me all the advertisements and posters for the European election are nothing but barefaced cheek. They say almost nothing about Europe, don't make any proposals for it, and above all elicit zero enthusiasm for Europe. ... Luckily some small consolation is offered by Eurovision. There are plenty of good reasons to turn up one's nose at the Song Contest. But once more Saturday's Grand Prix was also a deeply moving European celebration. The sea of flags waved by the boisterous crowd that had come together from the four corners of Europe reminded one of the Last Night of the Proms in London. There were singers from states I would have left out altogether if I'd been asked to name the countries of Europe. And they were a great reminder of how big Europe is, how peaceful, and how novel such a situation is at all."

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