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MEPs adopted a series of proposals to reinforce the right of mobile EU citizens to vote and stand in European elections in the EU country in which they reside.

The Constitutional Affairs Committee adopted its draft proposals to make European elections “more accessible, more competitive, and more European” with 18 votes for, 4 against, and 0 abstentions

MEPs want to introduce the following obligations for all member states:

• enabling registration as soon as the voter registers for residence;
• informing mobile citizens in an official EU language understandable to them of their rights and upcoming deadlines;
• ensuring the same standards for the submission of candidacies for national and mobile EU citizens;
• facilitating the exercise of the right to vote by vulnerable and marginalised groups, including persons with disabilities, older persons, homeless people, and persons in prison who enjoy their voting rights; and
• considering the introduction of postal voting, advance physical voting, proxy voting, mobile polling stations, and electronic and online voting in European elections.

MEPs also agreed to remove the so called “derogation” provisions allowing a member state to restrict the right to vote and stand in European elections for mobile EU citizens when their population grows to over 20% of all EU citizens (nationals and mobile) residing in its territory.

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