On Wednesday 25 April, the Committee of Permanent Representatives to the EU (Coreper) was unable to initiate the written procedure to adopt a minima reform of the EU electoral law (see EUROPE 12003).
According to the information we have received, the Belgian delegation indicated that it would abstain on the legislative proposal. Italy, however, due to the fact that it does not have a government in place, was still unable to indicate its reservation on this issue. The Italian authorities have indicated that they should first consult the competent Parliamentary committee at the national Parliament.
During the General Affairs Council, the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the EU said that it hoped a decision would be taken at unanimity by the end of April. According to European case law, any reform of the EU electoral law should be adopted at European level at least a year before the European elections planned for 26-29 May 2019 so that the member states are able to integrate it fully into their respective national law.
This reform is imperative for Germany if it is going to be able to introduce a minimum voting threshold (between 2% and 5%) for a candidate to be elected as an MEP. (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion)