The EU Set a Date for Elections to the European Parliament
Elections to the European Parliament will be held in the European Union from June 6 to 9, 2024.
This was announced by the head of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsolla, on Twitter.
Following today's confirmation by the EU ambassadors to the Council to schedule the next European Parliament elections from June 6 to 9, 2024, EP President Roberta Metsola said:
“The European Union is constantly evolving. The world is changing, and we must keep up with it. We need reforms. We cannot be afraid of change. The EU is not perfect. We must accept it by continuing to listen, by continuing to clarify and by continuing to inform.”
“I urge everyone to restore the sense of hope and possibility that the European Union offers. Vote. Don't let others choose for you. Be part of the largest democratic practice in Europe,” she added.
Earlier, on May 3, the European Parliament voted to revise election rules that would expand the role of citizens in electing the European Commission president and allow them to vote for pan-European MEPs.
Under the new system designed by MEPs, each voter will have two votes: one to elect MEPs in national constituencies and one in EU constituencies, from which 28 additional seats are elected.
To ensure a balance of geographical representation on these lists, EU member states will be divided into three groups based on their populations.
The lists will be filled by candidates from these groups proportionally.
The pan-European candidate lists must be submitted by European electoral organizations, such as coalitions of national political parties and/or national associations of voters or European political parties.
The European Parliament has a legislative function shared with the EU Council, which consists of government ministers from EU member states: the composition of the EU Council changes every time, depending on the issues under discussion. In most cases, the European Parliament considers and approves bills submitted by the European Commission on an equal footing with the EU Council.
The European Parliament consists of 751 MEPs. Since 1979, the members of the European Parliament have been elected by direct vote, which takes place concurrently in all the EU member states. Thus, the European Parliament is the only supranational structure in the world that has democratic legitimacy. MEPs are engaged in legislative work for 512 million people living in 28 EU countries.
On June 23, 2022, Ukraine received candidate status in the EU, and in February 2023, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced his intention to become a full member of the EU in two years. He expects that Ukraine's victory in the Russian war will hasten such a decision.