Specific Rules

In spite of some common rules the European elections are typified by a certain number of rules which are specific to each country.

Eligibility Rules

To be able to vote in the European elections the criteria of residency has to be respected first and foremost and this rule varies from country to country. It means that the citizen has to be registered on the population records or on the electoral roll; that his main domicile is in the country where he/she votes and that he/she has been living there for a minimum amount of time or on a permanent basis.Some Member States only grant European election voting rights to their citizens who live in a Union State, whilst others grant all of their citizens the right to vote where ever they live in the world.

Eligibility rules also vary from one country to another: the minimum required age varies between 18 and 25 and the required time of residence is also variable.

Since 1979 more and more women sit in the European Parliament; this is not just due to the fact that men prefer to invest in a national political career but also that some countries have adopted laws that make it obligatory to have a minimum representation of women on European lists.

Although there are common rules with regard to holding concurrent mandates each country also has specific incompatibility rules with regard to holding several political and also university, military and even economic positions.

Election Methods

Although in a majority of countries it is not obligatory to vote, in some countries citizens do have to vote.

The organisation of the electoral constituencies also varies from one State to another. There may be one single constituency nationally; there may be regional and even mixed constituencies (lists put together on a regional or national level).

Although since 1999 all Member States vote according to a proportional voting system there are many variations. Voting can be preferential; it can involve closed or mixed lists and even be a single transferable vote.

• Preferential Vote
Voters can modify the order of the candidates on the list according to their voting preference.

• The Closed List Vote
Voters select a list that cannot be changed.

• Mixed List Voting
Voters can choose different candidates from several lists.

• The Single Transferable Vote
The voter indicates his/her first choice then his/her secondary etc… If the first candidate is not elected the vote is transferred to the second choice.

The minimum threshold to be elected varies between 3% and 5%. The attribution of seats is undertaken according to various methods: the d’Hondt Method, the Sainte-Laguë Method, the quotas and remainders method; the Hagenbach-Bischoff Method.

The European Elections do not take place on the same day across the entire Union. They are taking place between 6th and 9th of June 2024; they will take place on one or over several days.

The standardisation of the electoral procedure features in article 138 of the 1957 Rome Treaty but has never been accepted by the European Council (a majority vote by the Parliament and a unanimous vote by the Council are vital for the adoption of a uniform mode of voting). Only one feature is common to the European elections: since 1999, they take place according to a proportional list system.However, the day of the vote, the number of constituencies, the threshold of access to list representation and the vote distribution system differ from one Member State to another. The table and notes below summarise the main electoral rules in force amongst the 27 countries taking part in the elections from 6th to 9th of May 2024.

Member State	No.of constituencies	Voting method	Methjods for the attribution of seats	Electoral threshold	Minimum eligibility age	Minimum age to vote	Election date
Austria	1	Preferential vote	D’Hondt Method	4%	18 years	16 years	9 June
Belgium	4	Preferential vote	D’Hondt Method	None	18 years	18 (mandatory vote)	9 June
Bulgaria	1	Preferential vote	Hare-Niemeyer Method	None	21 years	18 (mandatory vote)	9 June
Croatia	1	Preferential vote	D’Hondt Method	5%	18 years	18 years	9 June
Cyprus	1	Preferential vote	D’Hondt Method	1.8%	21 years	18 years (mandatory vote)	9 June
Czech Republic	1	Preferential vote	D’Hondt Method	5%	21 years	18 years	7-8 June
Denmark	1	Preferential vote	D’Hondt Method	None	18 years	18 years	9 June
Estonia	1	Preferential vote	D’Hondt Method	None	21 years	18 years	9 June
Finland	1	Preferential vote	D’Hondt Method	None	18 years	18 years	9 June
France	1	Closed list	D’Hondt Method	5%	18 years	18 years	9 June
Germany	1	Closed list	Sainte-Laguë/ Shepers Method	None	18 years	16 years	9 June
Greece	1	Preferential vote	Hare-Niemeyer Method	3%	25 years	17 years (mandatory vote)	9 June
Hungary	1	Closed lists	D’Hondt Method	5%	18 years	18 years	9 June
Ireland	1	Single transferable vote	First past the post preferential with vote transfer (VUT- Droop’s Quotient).	None	21 years	18 years	7 June
Italy	5	Preferential vote	Whole shares and highest remainder	4%	25 years	18 years	9 June
Latvia	1	Preferential vote	Sainte-Laguë/ Shepers Method	5%	21 years	18 years	8 June
Lithuania	1	Preferential vote	Hare-Niemeyer Method	5%	21 years	18 years	9 June
Luxembourg	1	Preferential vote	Hagenbach-Bishoff Method	None	18 years	18 years	9 June
Malta	1	Single transferable vote	First past the post preferential vote with transfer (VUT- Droop’s quotient).	None	18 years	18 years	8 June
Netherlands	1	Preferential vote	D’Hondt Method	None	18 years	18 years	6 June
Poland	14	Preferential vote	D’Hondt Method	5%	21 years	18 years	9 June
Portugal	1	Closed list	D’Hondt Method	None	18 years	18 years	9 June
Romania	1	Closed list	D’Hondt Method	5%	23 years	18 years	9 June
Slovakia	1	Preferential vote	Hare-Niemeyer Method	5%	21 years	18 years	8 June
Slovenia	1	Preferential vote	D’Hondt Method	None	18 years	18 years	9 June
Spain	1	Closed list	D’Hondt Method	None	18 years	18 years	9 June
Sweden	1	Preferential vote	Sainte-Laguë/ Shepers Method	4%	18 years	18 years	9 June

Countries where it is obligatory to vote

Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus (no sanction), Greece (no sanction), Luxembourg (except for the 75’s and over).

Voters

In Austria and Malta, the right to vote is set at 16 years of age. Germany and Belgium are experimenting lowering the right of vote to 16 years of age for the first time in the 2024 European election.

In Greece, the right to vote is set at 17 years of age.

In the rest of the Member States, the right to vote is set at 18 years of age.

Other elections

Three Member States will be voting on other issues on the same day as the European elections.

Belgium : Federal and regional elections

Malta : Local elections

Cyprus : Regional elections and local elections

Candidates

In France, the lists must include twice the number of candidates as there are seats available.In Romania each list must include 10 candidates more than the number of seats available.

Distribution of Seats

Germany and Italy have systems in which the national and administrative regions are mixed (candidate lists can be put together at regional or national level).

Electoral measures on parity

Belgium: Male/female parity on the lists. In addition to this the two leading candidates on each list cannot be of the same sex.

France: Male/female parity (lists must comprise alternately a candidate of each sex).

Italy: Male/female parity

Slovenia: The lists cannot include more than 60% of candidates of the same sex. Each list must include a representative of each sex in an eligible position.

Spain: The lists cannot include more than 60% of the same sex

Croatia : The lists cannot include more than 60% of the same sex

Poland : The lists cannot include more than 65% of the same sex

Ireland : The listes cannot include more than 70% of the same sex

Portugal: Each list must include at least one third of women.

Romania : The lists cannot be composed only with men

POLITICAL INCOMPATIBILITY OF BEING AN MEP

Austria: Yes, with the mandate of national Senator or MP.

Belgium: Yes, with the mandate of national Senator or MP, member of a council (of a community, a region or a province) or the mandate of mayor of a town with over 50,000 inhabitants.Bulgaria: None.

Cyprus: Yes, with the mandate of mayor and town councillor.

Czech Republic: Yes, with the mandate of national Senator or MP.

Denmark: Yes, with the mandate of national MP and town councillor.

Estonia: Yes, with the mandate of national MP.

France: Yes, with the mandate of Regional Councillor, Councillor in the Corsican Assembly, General Councillor, Paris Councillor or town councillor in a community with at least 3,500 inhabitants.

Finland: None.

Germany: None.

Greece: Yes, with the mandate of national MP.

Hungary: Yes, with the mandate of national MP.

Ireland: Yes, with the mandate of national Senator or MP.

Italy: Yes, with the mandate of national Senator or MP, president of a region or province, regional council or mayor of a town with over 15,000 inhabitants.

Latvia: Yes, with the mandate of national MP and town councillor.

Lithuania: Yes, with the mandate of national MP.

Luxembourg: None.

Malta: Yes, with the mandate of national MP and town councillor.

Netherlands: None.

Poland: Yes, with the mandate of national Senator or MP.

Portugal: Yes, with the mandate of national MP.

Romania: Yes, with the mandate of national Senator or MP.

Slovakia: Yes, with the mandate of national MP.

Slovenia: Yes, with the mandate of national MP.

Spain: Yes, with the mandate of national MP and town councillor.

Sweden: None