Pat Cox grasped the need to develop a communications strategy for the European Parliament elections. In order to do so, the European Parliament held a Conference on European public opinion and the European elections of 2004 on 18 September 2003.
"We will have, next year, between the 10th and the 13th of June, something that on a truly continental scale our old continent has never experienced before. We will have elections for the European Parliament from the Atlantic coast of my Munster Irish constituency, to the Eastern borders of the Baltic states. In that we have a unique moment, unparalleled in terms of scale and diversity, also the common opportunity to express a democratic assent and to mandate people on a five-year mission to deal with this new Europe, "la grande Europe" as they say, on a truly continental scale."
Speech by Pat Cox (PDF) at the Conference on "European Public Opinion and the 2004 European Elections", Brussels, 18 September 2003
Moreover, for the first time, political parties had an official status. That is why, in January 2004, Cox began to meet in the 25 countries party officials responsible for European elections. His message consisted of encouraging politicians to find room for Europe in their discussions.