MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:

The European Union is holding its parliamentary election this week. The results will help shape the direction of the EU for the next five years, but there's something different this time - 16-year-olds are eligible to vote in Germany and Belgium. Those two countries join a growing list that have lowered the voting age from 18. To learn more, our colleague A Martínez spoke with Pawel Zerka, with the European Council on Foreign Relations.

A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:

So first off, tell us about the decision to lower the voting age below 18. Why now?

PAWEL ZERKA: So it makes sense, because when you are 16, you already have some obligations - so, for example, if you work, you need to pay taxes - you already have the right to take some medical decisions or to enter a marriage or a civil partnership; then why shouldn't be that accompanied with the right to vote? The second reason which I can see is that European population is getting older, so there is a risk that if mostly old people vote in elections, then also they choose parties that defend the priorities representative for the older population, whereas the younger voters do not get their representation at the political level.