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MOTION FOR A EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT RESOLUTION

P10_TA(2025)0198

on the stocktakingStock-taking of the European elections 2024

(2025/2012(INI))

Committee on Constitutional Affairs

PE768.033

European Parliament resolution of 11 September 2025 on the stocktaking of the European elections 2024 (2025/2012(INI))

The European Parliament,

– having regard to the report of the Committee on Constitutional Affairs (A10-0156/2025),

A. whereas the 2024 European elections registered the highest turnout of any elections to the European Parliament in the past 25 years, at 50.7450,74 % of the electorate, (a slight increase in comparison to 2019 with 50.6650,66 %), sending a positive and significant signal about European citizens’ interest in EU affairs; whereas participation figures varied widely among Member States, ranging from 89.0189,01 % to 21.3521,35 %, underlining the need for continued political investment in election participation across the EU;

B. whereas the 2024 European elections were held simultaneously with parliamentary elections in two Member States, with local and regional elections in eight Member States and a referendum in one Member State;

Q. whereas young Europeans constitute 25 % of the total EU population, while only 10 % of the seats in Parliament are occupied by elected members under 30 years old;

R. whereas the 2024 elections show an overall decline in female representation across Parliament, with women now holding approximately 38.638,6 % of the seats, down from 40 % in 2019;

S. whereas recent geopolitical turmoil, including the COVID-19 pandemic, Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified full-scale war of aggression against Ukraine, and a worrying shift in transatlantic relations, has been a catalyst for disinformation narratives;

1. Recalls that the fitness and ability of the EU to tackle the challenges of the 21st century on behalf of its citizens largely depends on its ability to maintain and foster healthy democratic debates while ensuring the resilience and integrity of its elections and democratic processes; stresses that these cannot be taken for granted and must be strengthened and protected through a coherent policy framework; is convinced that this work is far from complete and that policy efforts must be intensified to boost participation in elections and to make the Union less bureaucratic and more democratic and effective in its decision-making;

2. Welcomes the relatively high turnout for the 10th European elections, which, with an aggregate participation rate of 50.7450,74 %, saw a slight increase compared to the 2019 elections; is convinced that these figures reflect stronger public engagement with the European project and the increasing importance of Parliament and its impact on the daily lives of citizens; is nevertheless concerned by the widely divergent participation rates among Member States and remains determined to strengthen policy efforts to close the gap and increase turnout among all groups across the EU;

3. Applauds efforts by the European institutions and the European Broadcasting Union to increase the continent-wide visibility of candidates in the European elections, including through a series of high-profile pan-European debates, bringing together lead candidates from the different political families, as well as through the ‘Get out the vote’ debates, raising awareness among young Europeans; welcomes the positive impact of its own institutional communication strategy, which sought to raise awareness about the elections by highlighting their importance through the slogan ‘Use your vote, or others will decide for you’; believes that cooperation among institutions and with Member States’ electoral authorities with a view to increasing voter turnout has improved and undertakes to enhance coordination efforts in this area; calls for further substantial investment to expand the reach of these campaigns and broadcasts for the 2029 elections; underlines the important and positive role of the European Parliament Liaison Offices in the European elections;

5. Stresses that more work must be done to increase the participation of under-represented groups in the European elections; is concerned by the decrease in turnout among young people and undertakes to ramp up policy efforts to increase electoral campaign outreach to this key demographic; notes that young peoples’ involvement in the future of the EU is crucial; encourages the Member States to adopt dedicated policy frameworks addressing both voting and candidacy facilities, including through specific information campaigns, and alternative voting methods such as postal and proxy voting; recognises the need to continue progressing towards a more inclusive electoral process to ensure that every citizen has an equal opportunity to participate in the democratic process; notes that only a few Members of the European Parliament belong to national and ethnic minorities that are officially recognised as minorities in the Member States in accordance with their constitutional or legal frameworks and relevant Council of Europe instruments; underlines that the fight against racism, discrimination and exclusion is a duty that derives from the EU’s fundamental values and the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights; calls on the Member States and national political parties to adopt proactive and proportionate measures to foster the effective inclusion and representation of such minorities, including Roma communities, in the European elections, in full respect of national constitutional orders;

6. Highlights that the elections to Parliament might not have been fair in Hungary; stresses in this context that the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) Election Observation Mission Final Report for the parliamentary elections and referendum in Hungary on 3April3 April 2022 found the ‘absence of a level playing field’”;field’; stresses that the Hungarian Government bears responsibility for the restoration of compliance with EU law and the values enshrined in Article 2 TEU and expresses deep regret that the lack of decisive EU action has contributed to a breakdown in democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights in Hungary, turning the country into a hybrid regime of electoral autocracy, according to the relevant indices; expresses concern about several requests by the Hungarian Central Investigative Prosecutor to lift the immunity of MEPs;

7. Reiterates its long-held view that further reforms of and adjustments to the EU electoral framework are necessary to make the European elections more democratic, resilient, inclusive and truly European; points to several pending policy initiatives in this regard and repeats its calls on the Council of the EU and the European Council to collaborate constructively with Parliament to find policy solutions that work in the interest of European citizens;

27. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council and the Commission.

EXPLANATORY STATEMENT

National laws, subject to common European principles, currently regulate elections for the European Parliament. According to Article 223 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU), the European Parliament puts forward a legislative proposal for the election of MEPs in accordance with a uniform electoral procedure applicable in all Member States, or in accordance with principles common to all Member States. This proposal requires unanimity in the Council and approval by all Member States in line with their constitutional procedure. The Act concerning the election of the Members of the European Parliament by direct universal suffrage (annexed to Council Decision 76/787/ECSC, EEC, Euratom of 20 September 1976, with subsequent amendments) is the EU legislation currently in force for the election of MEPs. Article 1 of the Act provides that Members of the European Parliament shall be elected through direct universal suffrage ‘on the basis of proportional representation, using the list system or the single transferable vote’. It also allows Member States to use voting based on a preferential list system. It is thus since 1976, that the European Electoral Act paved the way for the election of the representatives of the European Parliament by direct universal suffrage for the first time and that the European Parliament has continuously requested the reform of European electoral law and moves towards a uniform European electoral procedure. The Lisbon Treaty has offered a positive step forward by confirming the right of the European Parliament to initiate a proposal on the Electoral Act as well as on its composition. The Council laid down the provisions necessary for the election of the members of the European Parliament by direct universal suffrage in accordance with a special legislative procedure by the Council Decision 2018/994. However, the European elections are still based on national rules that comply with the common principles set out in the 1976 European Electoral Act and not on an EU uniform electoral system. Whilst the Council Decision 2018/994 aims to bring in modifications to the European Electoral Act, it was not applied for the 2024 European Parliament elections, given that there is still one Member State (ES) that had not ratified it. On 3 May 2022, the European Parliament voted to propose a new electoral law, based on Article 223 TFEU, which still awaits its unanimous approval by the Council. The last elections to the European Parliament were held in the 27 Member States of the EU between 6-9 June 2024. The European Parliament currently has 720 seats, as opposed to 751 – the maximum permitted under the EU Treaties – as it did between 2014 and January 2020. Following the United Kingdom’s departure from the EU on 31 January 2020, and with it the loss of the country’s 73 MEPs, an additional 27 Members from 14 Member States joined the Parliament, following provisions made for filling those seats at the June 2019 elections, adding up to 705 seats. The 720 MEPs are elected under national electoral systems, but these have to observe certain common principles established in EU law, notably proportional representation (PR). Under PR, voters may choose between political parties, individual candidates or both. Whilst in some Member States, voters can only vote for a list, with no possibility of changing the order of candidates (closed list), in others, voters can express their preference for one or more of the candidates (preferential voting). Instead of a list system, some Member States use the single transferable vote (STV) method of PR. The ongoing reform of the European Parliament’s electoral procedure aims to enhance the democratic and transnational public debate and dimension of the European elections and the democratic legitimacy of the Union decision-making process. Equally, it aims to reinforce citizenship in the Union, improve the functioning of the European Parliament and the governance of the Union, make the work of the European Parliament more legitimate and legislative by giving it a genuine right of initiative and strengthen the principles of electoral equality and equal opportunities.

Voting age for European elections

EU Member States are free to set their minimum national voting age for European elections. This age is set at 16 in Austria, Belgium, Germany and Malta, 17 in Greece, and 18 in the remaining Member States. The rules applicable to European elections are based on a combination of the common principles established in the European Electoral Act of 1976, as amended by Council Decision 2002/772, and the different national rules implementing those principles. In line with Article 8 of the European Elections Act, Member States can set the minimum voting age in their national legislation. In May 2022, Parliament tabled a proposal for a Council regulation on the election of the Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) by direct universal suffrage, which would replace the existing European Electoral Act of 1976 (2022/0902(APP)). The aim of the proposal is to harmonise a number of rules applicable to European elections, including the voting age. According to recital 17 of the proposal, a ‘single harmonised age for voting ...should be introduced across the Union in order to ensure equality and to avoid discrimination’. Article 4(1) of the proposal sets the age at 16 but allows for exceptions for ‘existing constitutional orders establishing a minimum voting age of 18 or 17 years of age’. To enter into force, the regulation needs the unanimous approval of the Council and the approval of all Member States in accordance with their constitutional requirements.

Minimum age to stand as a candidate in European elections

The European Electoral Act of 1976 allows the EU Member States to set the minimum age for standing as a candidate in European elections. While in May 2022 Parliament proposed a uniform minimum age of 18, the next round of elections – in 2024 – was governed by the existing rules. The minimum age therefore varies among the Member States, ranging from 18 (in the majority of countries) to 25 (Italy and Greece).

Variation across the Member States

The existing rules on European elections are based on a combination of the common principles established in the European Electoral Act of 1976, as amended by Council Decision 2002/772, and the different national rules implementing those principles. The minimum age for standing as a candidate for the European Parliament is determined by the individual Member States, in line with Article 8 of the European Electoral Act. Across the EU, this age currently varies as follows: the rules in 15 Member States provide for 18 years of age, nine for 21 (Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czechia, Estonia, Ireland, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland and Slovakia), one (Romania) for 23, and two (Italy and Greece) for 25. Through a law adopted in 2021, Belgium lowered the minimum age from 21 to 18, and those new rules applied for the 2024 elections.

Parliament proposes a harmonised age of 18 for candidates

In May 2022, Parliament tabled a proposal for a Council regulation on the election of MEPs by direct universal suffrage, which would replace the existing European Electoral Act (2022/0902(APP)). The proposal harmonises a number of rules applicable to European elections, including the minimum age for eligibility to stand as a candidate for an MEP. According to its recital 17, a ‘single harmonised age ... for standing as a candidate should be introduced across the Union in order to ensure equality and to avoid discrimination in access to those most fundamental civic and political rights’. Article 5(1) of the proposal sets the age at 18 and, in contrast to the voting right, provides for no exceptions. To enter into force, the regulation needs the unanimous approval of the Council and the approval of all Member States in line with their constitutional requirements.

Electoral thresholds in European Parliament elections

An electoral threshold for the allocation of seats is the minimum percentage of votes that a political party or a coalition is required to collect in order to gain a seat in the legislative assembly. Thresholds are said to enable a better balance between governability and representativeness, by favouring the formation of stable majorities and avoiding excessive fragmentation of the legislative assembly. Thresholds are sometimes imposed by law, but in the absence of an explicit legal requirement, they can be the de facto result of the size of the constituency and the relevant electoral law determining the apportionment of seats between constituencies. Provisions for electoral thresholds are common in proportional electoral systems, which tend to favour multipartyism. Thresholds can, however, be problematic when they limit or impede the representation of regional parties and ethnic and linguistic minorities, for instance. The current European Electoral Act contains a set of common principles to be upheld by the different domestic laws applicable to the election of the European Parliament. The original act of 1976 did not contain any provisions on minimum thresholds. Following modifications introduced in 2002, Article 3 allows Member States to set a minimum threshold for the allocation of seats; this must not exceed 5 % of the votes cast. More recently, a draft legislative act, adopted by the European Parliament in May 2022 and seeking to repeal the 1976 Act, proposes to modify Article 3. Member States would remain free to establish an electoral threshold of no more than 5 % of the valid votes cast, but they would be obliged to establish a threshold – of no less than 3.5 % and no more than 5 % – for national constituencies comprising more than 60 seats. The electoral thresholds applied in the 2019 European elections ranged between 5 % of the valid votes cast, required in nine Member States (Czechia, France, Croatia, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia) and 1.8 %, required in Cyprus, while 14 Member States set no threshold. Italy, Austria and Sweden applied a 4 % threshold; and Greece 3 %. These thresholds applied for the 2024 European elections.

The Spitzenkandidaten

The Spitzenkandidaten process relies on the ambiguous wording of the Treaty provision (Article 17(7) TEU) applicable to the appointment of the President of the Commission, which neither explicitly provides for nor excludes such a process. The process is based on a reading of the provision that draws inspiration from the innovations introduced by the Lisbon Treaty, whereby the overall results of European elections should be politically reflected in the choice of the head of the executive. Declaration no 6 on Articles 15(5) and 15(6), Article 17(6) and 17(7), and 18 TEU, states that in choosing the persons called upon to take up the office of President of the Commission, due account is to be taken of the need to respect the geographical and demographical diversity of the Union and its Member States. Declaration no 11 clarifies that the selection of the candidate is the result of consultations between European Council and Parliament. The Spitzenkandidaten, or lead candidate process is a political process requiring that, before the European elections, the European political parties designate the personality they would propose as President of the Commission or who could marshal a parliamentary majority. This personality would campaign in the Member States, presenting the political programme of their own political party. The lead candidate process aims at establishing a political link between Parliament and the executive. The EU is the product of a deep integration process that needs a higher degree of democratic legitimation for its institutions and a more understandable system for its citizens.

Domestic provisions for voting from abroad in the EU Member States

Four Member States provide for compulsory voting (Belgium, Bulgaria, Greece and Luxembourg); however, in the case of Greece, voting is not compulsory for voters residing abroad. Twenty-three Member States recognise their citizens’ right to vote from abroad in European elections, with some differences. For example, two Member States (Bulgaria and Italy) recognise their citizens’ right to vote from abroad only if they reside in another EU Member State (i.e. not in a third country). Four Member States (Czechia, Ireland, Malta and Slovakia) do not recognise their citizens’ right to vote from abroad in European elections, so their respective citizens must return to their ‘home’ country in order to vote. Ireland, however, allows a few specific categories of people (e.g. military and diplomatic staff) to vote from abroad. Nineteen Member States recognise their citizens’ right to vote in person in diplomatic and/or consular missions. There are differences between these Member States, though. For instance, Hungary gives the right to vote in person only to its citizens who have a domicile in Hungary but who wish to exercise their right to vote abroad. Hungarians with no address in Hungary and living outside the EU can vote by post only. Moreover, some Member States (e.g. Belgium, Cyprus, Poland, Romania, Spain) may establish, under certain conditions, polling stations in other places than diplomatic and consular missions. Fourteen Member States allow for postal voting; Denmark also uses the term ‘voting by post’ for what is, in practice, advance voting. Some of these Member States cover the costs of sending the postal ballot by normal post (e.g. Austria, Hungary) or reimburse them (Spain), whereas others provide that the postal costs be borne by the voter (e.g. Estonia, Germany and the Netherlands). Only three Member States (Belgium, France and the Netherlands) allow proxy voting; in all three Member States, other forms of voting are also recognised, i.e. in person voting and/or postal voting. Certain Member States, such as Germany, explicitly prohibit voting by proxy. Only one Member State (Estonia) allow its citizens to vote electronically (internet voting).

European Democracy shield

First announced in July 2024 as part of the Commission’s Political guidelines 2024-2029, the democracy shield initiative links existing work to counter foreign information manipulation and interference with the implementation of key legislation and initiatives to boost the resilience of the information sphere. This includes regulation of online platforms and search engines in the Digital Services Act (DSA), including the 2022 strengthened code of practice to make online platforms do more to curb information manipulation and hate speech, and the work of the European Digital Media Observatory (EDMO) and its regional hubs. It also includes the AI Act, with its risk-based approach to regulating AI, including generative AI-facilitated information manipulation such as deepfakes, the European Media Freedom Act, and the Regulation on Transparency and Targeting of Political Advertising.

ANNEX: DECLARATION OF INPUT

Pursuant to Article 8 of Annex I to the Rules of Procedure, the rapporteur declares that she included in her report input on matters pertaining to the subject of the file that she received, in the preparation of the report, prior to the adoption thereof in committee, from the following interest representatives falling within the scope of the Interinstitutional Agreement on a mandatory transparency register, or from the following representatives of public authorities of third countries, including their diplomatic missions and embassies:

The list above is drawn up under the exclusive responsibility of the rapporteur.

Where natural persons are identified in the list by their name, by their function or by both, the rapporteur declares that she has submitted to the natural persons concerned the European Parliament's Data Protection Notice No 484 (https://www.europarl.europa.eu/data-protect/index.do), which sets out the conditions applicable to the processing of their personal data and the rights linked to that processing.

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