The European Elections 2024

The European Parliament adopted by 365 votes to 178, with 71 abstentions, a resolution on the European Elections 2024.

Strengthening European democracy at the next election

While welcoming the higher turnout in the 2019 European elections (50.66 % of the electorate), Members strive to work on further increasing the turnout at the 2024 European elections and increase participation in the elections. They regretted the lack of progress by the Council towards the adoption of the new European electoral law as adopted by the European Parliament on 3 May 2022 and called for its swift approval by the Council.

Members regretted that the lead candidate system for the election of the President of the European Commission was not implemented at the 2019 European elections. They believe that a clear and credible link between the choice of voters and the election of the Commission President is needed. They called on the European Council to provide certainty on the lead candidate system to European citizens and to put a stop to deals behind closed doors.

Members called for the establishment of an interinstitutional agreement between Parliament and the European Council on the lead candidate system. The main candidates and the presidents of European political parties and their respective parliamentary groups should start negotiations immediately after the 2024 European elections to agree, on behalf of the European Parliament, on a common candidate to chair the Commission before the European Council makes its proposal.

The lead candidate of the European political party that has obtained the largest share of seats in the elections to the European Parliament must in the first instance lead the negotiations to identify the common candidate with the largest majority, followed, if needed, by the other lead candidates in this effort. The President of the European Parliament must, if needed, be available to steer this process.

In addition, the European political parties and their parliamentary groups should adopt a ‘legislature agreement’ for the legislative period 2024-2029 as a way of securing a majority in Parliament ahead of the appointment of the Commission, as a basis for its work programme and a guarantee, to European voters, of a coherent follow-up to the elections.

Citizens’ participation and enfranchisement

Members considered it essential to guarantee that all citizens of the Union who have the right to vote and stand as a candidate, including mobile Union citizens, citizens with disabilities and citizens in a situation of homelessness, are able to exercise that right. They considered that public awareness campaigns are essential to improve the rate of participation and call on the Member States to make every effort in this regard, also involving civil society organisations.

Parliament reiterated its call on Member States to allow all citizens of the Union living or working in a third country to be granted the right to cast their vote in elections to the European Parliament. It encouraged the introduction of postal voting to ensure that the inability to go to the polling stations on Election Day does not prevent citizens of the Union from exercising their right to vote. Complementary tools to facilitate voting should also be encouraged, such as advance physical voting and proxy voting, as well as electronic and online voting.

Member States should consider aligning and lowering the voting age and the minimum age for standing as a candidate, as indicated in the electoral law proposal and the conclusions of the Conference on the Future of Europe.

Institutional resilience

The resolution stressed the need for more robust safeguards and measures against disinformation and internal and external interference in the electoral process.

Members noted the ongoing interinstitutional negotiations on the proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on European political parties and foundations. They called on the Commission and the Council to continue the interinstitutional negotiations in a spirit of loyal cooperation. They welcomed the agreement reached by the co-legislators on the Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on the transparency and targeting of political advertising.

The resolution noted that the 2024 elections provide a unique opportunity to launch a Europe-wide debate on the reform of the Union, based on Parliament's proposals for treaty reform. The European Council is invited to adopt a position on the holding of a convention after the adoption by Parliament of its proposals.

Parliament called for a reform of the Treaties and urged the Council and, ultimately, the European Council to act on its proposal to trigger Article 48 TEU in order to establish a convention.