EC welcomes agreement to make voting in European and municipal elections easier from abroad

The European Commission (EC) said on June 24 that it welcomes today’s adoption of the new rules on voting rights in both European and municipal elections for Europeans who live in a different Member State.

These rules, proposed by the Commission in November 2021, require EU member states to provide timely and clear information on voter registration, election dates and voting procedures, ensuring this information is provided in a language widely understood by the voters.

To further strengthen the rights of mobile EU citizens, Europeans residing in another member state will now have the same access to early voting, and, where available, to postal or online voting under the same conditions as nationals of that member state.

New templates will simplify the registration process for both voters and candidates, and a new secure system – provided by the Commission – will help countries share data to prevent multiple voting. 

A recent report on the 2024 European Parliament elections revealed that while there are around 14 million so-called mobile citizens, very few actually vote in European elections.

The new rules will help ensure that voting is easy and accessible for all.

Member states now have two years to transpose the rules, until June 2027.

Henna Virkkunen, EC Executive Vice-president for Technological Sovereignty, Security and Democracy, said: “Today’s adoption is a big win for Europeans living abroad. Easier voting means that everyone can easily shape policies that matter to them, and thus strengthening democracy for all.”

(Photo: president.bg)