Brussels, 22/05/2013 (Agence Europe) - Rather than holding the European elections in early June, which has been the tradition since universal suffrage was introduced in 1979, MEPs want to bring the European elections forward to 22-25 May 2014, in a decision voted through by the plenary on Tuesday 21 May. Bringing the elections forward would leave more time for the new European Parliament (EP) to prepare for the election of a president of the European Commission in July 2014.
By 601 votes to 31 and 16 abstentions, MEPs approved the report by Carlo Casini (EPP, Italy) on the draft decision on the European elections of 2014. In this procedure, the EP is simply consulted by the Council of Ministers. The committee of member states' permanent representatives to the EU (Coreper) decided on 8 March 2013 that the European elections should take place from 22 to 25 May 2014. The Council of Ministers will merely have to formalise the decision at a meeting in June.
The European Parliament had called for the election date to be changed on several occasions, such as in February 2012. The change will make it possible to avoid high abstention due to the Whitsun bank holiday weekend in many member states between 5 and 8 June 2014, the dates initially earmarked for the elections, and will speed up the process of appointing a new European Commission by allowing the political groups at the EP to organise themselves so they can have an impact on the appointment of Commission president. Bringing the elections forward to May will make it possible to have a vote on the president of the Commission in mid-July 2014 so that the College of Commissioners can take office on 1 November 2014 immediately after the current European Commission's term of office ends on 31 October. (LC/transl.fl)