FEWER than a quarter of Hampshire voters can name one of their MEPs, an exclusive Daily Echo survey has revealed.

Less a fifth know which party their MEP represents, and just 16 per cent of people could name any powers that the European Parliament has.

The lack of knowledge was uncovered in a Daily Echo survey of 1,000 Hampshire voters.

People stopped at random were quizzed in Southampton, Eastleigh, Winchester, Fareham and Lymington.

They were asked if they knew the names of their MEPs, what party they represented and what powers the European Parliament had.

People in Southampton and Eastleigh were joint worst for knowing any names of their MEPs, with just four per cent mentioning a correct name.

Top were people in the New Forest, where 53 per cent could name one of the southern region's 11 MEPs.

New Forest people also scored highly in knowing which party MEPs belonged to, with 43.5 per cent getting it right.

But people in Winchester were the most knowledgeable about naming the powers of the European Parliament, with 24.5 per cent knowing what MEPs can decide on.

Roy Perry, Conservative MEP for the south east region, blamed the "list system" for voter apathy.

He said: "The big problem we have is that we now have the regional list system, which means you have 11 MEPs covering the region.

"The region stretches from Kent to Hampshire and it is just too big. It is a region that makes no sense. As far as campaigning is concerned, I have decided that rather than spread myself over the entire region, which is impossible, I have concentrated on Hampshire.

"For instance, I was in Portsmouth to watch the march-past of the D-Day veterans. I can find my way around Hampshire and I think that makes sense. Trying to cover the whole of the south does not."

He added that the complexity of the issues dealt with by MEPs meant that many people were being put off the work of the European Parliament.

He said: "A lot of our work is dealing with what companies do. I have done a lot of work, for instance, for British American Tobacco on EU regulations, and have also worked with Bacardi Martini. It is very important for the jobs of the people involved in Martini but it is not going to set the world on fire.

"It is very difficult to find something that people are interested in.

"It then becomes a simple press story of 'What is Europe for anyway?' But I return to where I was in Portsmouth on Thursday. The veterans were fighting to end wars, and that is what the EU is all about.

"It is far better that we negotiate in the committee rooms in Brussels than fight in the trenches in Flanders."

According to Chris Huhne, one of two southern region Liberal Democrat MEPs, the list system itself is not to blame for voter apathy, but needs reform.

He said: "Last time we had the list system, we only had half the turn-out of the other EU countries. The list system is clearly not at fault.

"At the moment we have a closed-list system, which means you can only choose the party you vote for, and not the candidate.

"It means that parties choose candidates but the people do not. It means you end up with party apparatchiks. The closed list system is a contributory factor but I think it is very small."

He blamed voter apathy on the work of the European Parliament, which concentrates on "technical" legislation whereas national parliaments still legislated on issues that people talked about on the doorstep such as crime, education, health and transport.

Mr Huhne said: "The European Parliament deals with a narrower range of issues. It is crucial to jobs, and it is crucial to consumer safety. We have important powers but they are for a limited area."

He added that one important reform he would like to see to the European decision making process would be for the European Council of ministers to hold open meetings.

He said: "Only Cuba and North Korea still have meetings of ministers held in secret. It is absolutely crucial to meet in the open.

"Because they are held in secret, ministers don't feel that they have to do much work. It also means it is much more difficult for the House of Commons to hold them to account. On EU matters, the Commons only looks at what ministers have done after the event.

"We need to have a system like they do in Denmark, where a minister explains to a committee what he or she is going to decide before they meet in Europe. Ministers should be held properly to account."

Labour MEP Peter Skinner said the European Union was formed out of the ashes of the Second World War to prevent European nations from going to war again.

He said: "Europe is the political legacy of the D-Day landings. It is what comes of having 300 years of strife in Europe before the end of the Second World War, and 60 years of peace since. Europe is still struggling to come to terms with that.

"I think we have to make the language we use in Europe simpler."

He added that, while canvassing in local elections, he had been struck by how many people did not know the name of their local councillor.

"I think there is a wish to express political feelings but there is the problem of how convenient it is.

"When a woman comes to the door and says to me, 'I have to look after my kids today, I can't come out and vote', that is a reflection of the way we live now.

"Giving people a chance to vote over two or three weeks would really help to change the way people vote in this country."