Germany retailers including Edeka and Rewe are urging their employees to participate in the forthcoming European elections, Morgenpost has reported.
Together with the industry association 'Handelsverband Deutschland' (HDE), the retailers are seeing to convince their employees to vote on May 26 to preserve a free and democratic Europe.
"This European Election may be the most important since the beginning of the EU", a statement issued by the group said.
Populist Gains
According to HDE's president Josef Sanktjohanser, every vote in this election is especially important, given the growing number of populist candidates.
"Populists and anti-European parties are gaining influence in all member states. We all need to realise that the future of the European project is at stake," he told the paper.
The call to participate is aimed at defending the European values of freedom and prosperity, the paper reported.
"Only a strong Europe that speaks with one voice on big issues can negotiate on equal footing with the other regions of the world," Sanktjohanser added. "Such a Europe does not take our national identity from us, it is rather complemented and enriched."
Other retailers involved in the initiative include Galeria Karstadt Kaufhof, Douglas and Butlers as well as Inditex, Ceconomy and Markant.
© 2019 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Jana Zimmermann. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine.
