The European Parliament’s Committee on Constitutional Affairs (AFCO) wishes to provide fresh impetus to the reform of the European Union’s electoral law given that the agreed reform of 2018 had a limited impact (see EUROPE 13293/24) and the 2022 reform advocated by the European Parliament has come up against an obstacle in the form of the Council of the EU (see EUROPE 12037/6).
Approved on Wednesday 3 December by the political groups forming the ‘von der Leyen’ majority, the draft resolution tabled by Borja Giménez Larraz (EPP, Spanish) notes that the European elections continue to be organised within national legal and institutional frameworks, despite the fact that the 1976 Electoral Law provides for the introduction of a uniform electoral procedure.
MEPs reiterated their support for “Europeanisation” of electoral rules through greater access for disadvantaged groups, notably through postal voting, common deadlines for the finalisation of electoral lists, an end to double voting in home and host countries, and greater visibility for the European political party with which a candidate’s national party is affiliated.
Any reference to the creation of a Union-wide electoral constituency in which transnational lists would be fielded – in addition to the elections in the Member States – has been removed, even though this was a request made by the European Parliament during the previous legislative term.
The parliamentary committee also notes that only one country, namely Spain, has not ratified the 2018 reform of the Electoral Law. This deadlock, resulting from a non-ratification agreement between the coalition parties in power in Spain, is preventing Germany from introducing a minimum threshold of 2% of votes to obtain representation in the European Parliament.
See the draft resolution: https://aeur.eu/f/ju5; and the agreed compromise amendments: https://aeur.eu/f/ju4 (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion)