Following disappointingly low turnout levels at European elections, which have fallen from 63% at the first European elections in 1979 to a mere 46% at the last poll in 2004, on 26 September Parliament backed the Commission proposals, which aim to facilitate citizens' expression of their European democratic rights.
Rapporteur and Liberal MEP Andrew Duff (ALDE, UK) argues that the current system discourages people from voting at the European elections. He therefore proposes new measures to "boost" voter turnout.
Duff suggests allowing multiple candidatures in different member states, which are currently not possible, and enabling citizens who have been deprived of their electoral rights in one member state to vote in another.
"Parliament supports the proposals to simplify and promote the arrangements whereby EU citizens can vote in and stand for European elections in countries other than their own," Duff said. "However, the original Council directive was too restrictive in seeking to ban dual candidacies. It is high time that the EU encouraged cross-border democracy."
The Parliament's changes are largely in line with the Commission's original proposal, which aims to ease the administrative obstacles that EU citizens face when voting or standing for European elections abroad. In particular, the Commission seeks to abolish the information exchange system currently in place, which has proven to be too cumbersome.
It is now up to the member states, who have the last word on this matter, to decide whether to take on the Parliament's proposals. However, Parliament sources say that there is as yet no indication of when the issue will figure on the Council's agenda.
