Changes in the way conduct of the European elections brings a new EU reform.
Specifically, today began the process of reforming the electoral law in order to transform the27 separate contests (with their different rules) in one, pan-European electoral contest.
Parliament adopted a legislative initiative report on Tuesday aimed at revising the rules for European elections. The legislative proposal was adopted by 323 votes to 262 with 48 abstentions, while the relevant resolution was adopted by 331 votes to 257 with 52 abstentions.
According to the system proposed by MEPs, each voter will have two votes: one for the election of candidates from the national constituencies and one in a pan-European constituency, from which 28 additional MEPs will be elected. To ensure balanced geographical representation on these supranational ballots, Member States will be divided into three categories according to their population size. Candidates from these three categories of countries will participate in the pan-European ballots. Pan-European ballots must be submitted by European electoral bodies, such as coalitions of national political parties, national voter associations or European political parties.
Parliament also wants to promote gender equality, stressing that, despite the overall improvement in recent elections, some countries have not elected a single female MEP. The text proposes to introduce on the ballot papers mandatory systems of alternation of male and female candidates or quotas, without at the same time violating the rights of non-binary individuals.
The following are also proposed to strengthen the European dimension of elections:
May 9 as a common European election day
The right to vote for all Europeans aged 18 and over
Mandatory electoral threshold of 3.5% for constituencies with 60 or more seats
Equal access to elections for all citizens, including people with disabilities, and the ability to vote by letter
The right of citizens to vote for the President of the European Commission in a system of “top candidates” through pan-European ballots.
It is also proposed that a new European Electoral Authority be set up to oversee the process and ensure compliance with the new rules.
Next steps
As provided for in Article 223 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, Parliament ‘s legislative initiative must be adopted unanimously by the Council. Once that is done, the proposal will be returned to Parliament so that MEPs can give their consent. The proposal will then have to be approved by all Member States in accordance with their applicable constitutional rules. Negotiations with the Council will begin as soon as the Member States reach a common position.
Statements
The rapporteur, Domènec Ruiz Devesa (Socialists, Spain), said: “These reforms will increase the visibility of European political parties and allow them (especially their candidates on the European lists) to campaign across the EU to create ground for a genuine pan-European dialogue. Citizens will know that they are voting for European political entities and leading candidates for the post of President of the Commission. “Parliament is sending a strong message to the Council that now is the time to change the electoral law so that we can have elections that reflect the existing political reality.”
A press conference with the rapporteur will be held at 17.00 (Central European Summer Time) on Tuesday 3 May 2022. More information, information on the participation of media representatives, as well as links to its broadcast, are available here.
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