European Commission

1. EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT ELECTIONS 2009 What are the lessons ? Trends • Participation in the elections: decrease of general turn-out • Administrative difficulties partly due to the diversity of the electoral systems • What answer to give: • More efficient awareness-raising campaigns? • Further common rules for the Member States in the EP elections? (see the current proposal in the EP – report of Mr A. Duff) • Others? Living in an area of freedom, security and justice European Commission Directorate-General JLS

2. EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT ELECTIONS 2009 What are the lessons ? Tendencies of participation • The GENERAL TURNOUT steadily decreased (63% - 43%) • Participation of EU citizens in their MS of residence increased: 5,9% in 1994;9 % in 1999;12% in 2004 • There are more than 8 million EU citizens residing in another MS. • Voters attitude: « shall I vote in the MS where I reside or shall I vote at home in my own Member State ?» Living in an area of freedom, security and justice European Commission Directorate-General JLS

3. EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT ELECTIONS 2009 What are the lessons ? Efforts of the EU institutions to raise awareness • Joint efforts of the European Parliament and of the European Commission : Communication Partnership set up in October 2008 • Awareness raising activities by the European Commission (ex.): - Video clips (EU Tube, Euronews…) (DG COMM) - Young bloggers project (EJC) (DG COMM) - Youth events in 12 cities (DG EAC) - Publicity at agricultural fairs (DG AGRI) - Social Europe fairs (DG EMPL) - Citizens’ rights roadshow (DG JLS) - Involvement of the Representations of the Commission • Participation rate in 2009: 43,1 % (over 90 % in Belgium and Luxemburg and less than 20 % in Slovakia) Living in an area of freedom, security and justice European Commission Directorate-General JLS

4. EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT ELECTIONS 2009 What are the lessons ? Commmon principles and divergences in the electoral systems • Common principles to be respected by all Member States in the EP elections (Art 190.4 TEC) • Put in effect by the Act of 1976(last amended by Decision 2002/772) • direct universal suffrage • free and secret elections • proportional representation • Incompatibilities with the office of MEP, etc. • timing of the publication of the results: results may be published only when voting is closed in all Member States • Electoral procedures fixed at national level big variety(Article 8 of the 1976 Act) Living in an area of freedom, security and justice European Commission Directorate-General JLS

5. EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT ELECTIONS 2009 What are the lessons ? Difficulties linked to the differnces in the electoral systems • Preventing double vote and double canidacies (see the difficulties revealed by the reports of the Commission on the implementation of Directive 93/109) • Identifying the EU citizens registered both in their Member State of origin and the Member State of residence • Taking the measures to prevent double vote • The scale of the problem: efficiency of the current mechanism (Art. 13, Directive 93/109) and the burden on the national administrations • Timing of the elections and timing of the publication of the results (Art. 10, 1976 Act concerning the elections of the Members of the EP) Living in an area of freedom, security and justice European Commission Directorate-General JLS

6. EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT ELECTIONS 2009 What are the lessons ? Questions and Conclusions • General turnout is steadily decreasing in the EP elections butparticipation of EU citizens in their MS of residence is slightly increasing. Why? • Further efforts in connection with the right of the Union citizens to vote in the Member State of residence • Does further common principles can attract voters? (report of Mr Andrew Duff) Living in an area of freedom, security and justice European Commission Directorate-General JLS