Verification of credentials

The Committee on Legal Affairs adopted the report by Pavel SVOBODA (EPP, CZ) on the verification of credentials.

The committee proposed that the Parliament declare valid, subject to any decisions by the competent authorities of Member States in which the election results have been disputed, the mandate of the Members of the European Parliament listed in the annex to this decision whose election has been notified by the competent national authorities and who have made the written declarations as regards their professional activities and any other remunerated functions or activities.

The list of Members of the European Parliament whose mandate is declared valid is annexed to the draft decision of the European Parliament.

The authorities of the Member States are called upon to:

• notify the Parliament of all the names of the elected candidates and also to forward the names of any substitutes, together with their ranking in accordance with the results of the vote;
• complete without delay the examination of the disputes referred to them and to notify Parliament of the results.

Members noted that the nationals of certain Member States who have been living in another country for a given period of time can be deprived of the right to vote in their home Member State (disenfranchisement). They stated that under no circumstances may disenfranchisement apply to European elections and called on the Commission to ensure that none of the Member States provides for that possibility.

Member States are called upon to ensure that the registration formalities relating to the participation of nationals of other Member States in the European elections are simplified.