On Friday 6 June, the European Commission published a report on the European elections in June 2024 (see EUROPE 13427/1).
During these elections, which took place from 6 to 9 June, almost 180 million out of 360 million registered voters went to the polls, bringing the turnout rate to 50.74%, which is stable compared to 2019 (50.66%).
Despite a number of disparities between Member States, the turnout rate ranged from a high of 89.01% in Belgium to a low of 21.35% in Croatia. On the whole, the polling took place without any major incidents, according to the Commission.
More than 18,400 candidates were vying for the 720 seats in the European Parliament.
Above all, the document describes the efforts made to ensure the integrity of the electoral process.
Unprecedented cooperation between Member States, EU institutions and stakeholders made it possible to tackle the risks associated with disinformation, cyber-attacks and foreign interference. For example, 42 incidents of information manipulation attributed to Russia have been identified.
Progress is still needed in terms of inclusion.
Only 36% of young people (aged 15-24) voted. In addition, the proportion of female MEPs fell to 38.5%, the first drop in the number of women elected since 1979.
Similarly, the participation of disabled and mobile EU citizens remains uneven.
The Commission calls for continued efforts to raise awareness, particularly through civic education, simplifying electoral procedures and strengthening democratic resilience as part of the future ‘European Shield for Democracy’, which will be unveiled in the second half of 2025 (see EUROPE 13649/2).
To read the report, go to https://aeur.eu/f/h7y (Original version in French by Nithya Paquiry)