European Parliament elections (2014)

Between 22 and 25 May 2014, voters in the 28 EU countries will go to the polls to elect the Members of the European Parliament who are to represent their interests for the next 5 years.

ACT

Council Decision 2013/299/EU, Euratom of 14 June 2013 fixing the period for the eighth election of representatives to the European Parliament by direct universal suffrage.

SUMMARY

The pan-EU elections are a unique exercise in multinational democracy and will give the peoples of Europe a chance to influence the future political direction of the Union for the foreseeable future. They are the first since the Lisbon Treaty in 2009 gave the European Parliament several important new powers. This will be the eighth time that voters have selected their European representatives since the first direct elections in June 1979.

When is election day?

Each EU country has its own electoral laws determining the day on which its citizens will vote during the 4-day election period. The results will start to be announced only after the last polling booth closes on Sunday 25 May.

Who can vote and stand as a candidate?

Nationals of an EU country can vote and stand as candidates for the European Parliament in their own country provided they meet the requisite criteria, such as being on the electoral roll. Under European legislation adopted in 1993, they may also exercise the same rights if they are living in another EU country.

To do so, they must be EU citizens, be resident in the EU country where they propose to vote or stand, and satisfy the same conditions as a national of that country. This last requirement ensures compliance with the principle of equality between national and non-national voters.

However, no-one may vote more than once or stand as a candidate in more than one EU country.

How many MEPs will be elected?

Since Croatia joined the EU in July 2013, the European Parliament has had 766 members (MEPs). This number will be scaled down to 751 at the elections and will remain at that level in future. Countries with larger populations have more seats than smaller ones, but the latter have more seats than they would receive under strict proportionality.

Why are these elections different?

The elections will enable voters to express their views on the EU’s efforts to tackle the economic and financial crisis and moves towards closer economic and political integration.

One major new element introduced by the Lisbon Treaty is that EU leaders have to take account of the election results when nominating the next Commission President. The candidate put forward by the EU countries must be approved by a majority of MEPs to be elected. This means that voters now have a clear say in who will take over from Commission President Barroso in autumn 2014. As a result, the various political families, such as Christian Democrats, Socialists, Liberals and Greens, are selecting their candidates for the post of Commission President by appointing them to lead their election campaigns.

RELATED ACTS

Council Directive 93/109/EC of 6 December 1993 laying down detailed arrangements for the exercise of the right to vote and stand as a candidate in elections to the European Parliament for citizens of the Union residing in a Member State of which they are not nationals.

last update 10.03.2014