Brussels - On June 6-9, more than 400 million voters from the European Union’s 27 member states will elect a new five-year parliament – giving EU citizens a chance to decide on the future direction of the bloc.

What is the European Parliament?

The European Parliament is a key forum for political debate at EU level. Lawmakers are directly elected in all member states to represent voters’ interests in EU law making and to ensure that other EU institutions operate democratically. 

What does the European Parliament do?

Together with the European Council, which brings together EU heads of state and government, the European Parliament shares the power to amend and adopt legislative proposals and to decide on the EU budget.

It oversees the work of the European Commission – the bloc’s executive arm – and other EU bodies, and works with EU countries’ national parliaments to get their input on future legislation. 

Why does the parliament matter?

The European Parliament adopts laws that affect everyone: big countries and small communities, powerful companies and young start ups, with an impact ranging from local to global. 

It legislates across a huge range of areas that most people cite as priorities today: the environment, security, migration, social policy, consumer rights, the economy, the rule of law and much more. 

What is the composition of the European Parliament?

A total of 720 MEPs will be elected in June, 15 more than in the current parliament. 

How has the European Parliament evolved over the years?

The European Parliament has evolved considerably over the years, accruing greater responsibilities and growing in importance. 

While its predecessor, the Assembly, had a merely supervisory role, since 1979 the European Parliament’s members have been elected by direct universal suffrage and tasked with representing people’s interests. 

As well as shaping and deciding on legislation, the parliament is also responsible for scrutinizing the EU’s other institutions and promoting human rights in and outside the bloc. 

How many MEPs does each country elect?

The smallest number of MEPs from any country is 6 (Cyprus, Luxembourg and Malta) and the largest is 96 (Germany).

What was voter turnout in previous elections?

Voter turnout has fallen steadily in every election from 1979 to 2014, when it reached a historic low of 42.5 percent.

However, the 2019 election saw turnout rise to its highest level since 1994. – at 50.6 percent - and polls suggest turnout will increase again this year.

What electoral system are countries using to elect MEPs?

All European elections must be based on proportional representation and use either a list system or the single transferable vote system. 

Each member state functions as a single constituency, with the exception of Ireland, Italy, Poland and Belgium which have split their territory into several regional constituencies. 
In Ireland, Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Austria, Italy, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Greece, you can express a preference and vote for one or more candidates, in the rest of the EU you can only vote for a list.

Who can vote?

The rules, age of voters and age of candidates vary from country to country. Belgium, Bulgaria, Greece and Luxembourg are the only countries with compulsory voting.

Estonia stands out as the only country that allows online voting.

In Austria, Belgium, Malta and Germany you can vote from the age of 16, and in Greece from the age of 17.

In the other 22 countries, the minimum voting age is 18.

What is the minimum age for candidates?

There is some latitude in terms of who can stand for election. Candidates must be at least 25-years-old in Greece and Italy.

In Romania, candidates must be 23 while the minimum age is 21 in Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Cyprus.

In the other 15 countries the minimum age is 18.

What happens on June 6-9?

The Dutch will be the first to cast their votes with polling stations opening on June 6.

The polls open in Ireland and the Czech Republic on June 7 and voters in Latvia, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Malta and Italy will go to the polls on June 8. Italy and the Czech Republic are the only two EU countries to allow their citizens to vote on two different days. 

But the main election day will be on June 9, when the other 20 member states head to the polls, bringing more than two-thirds of the EU electorate to the ballot box.

Who is on the ballot? National parties or political groups?

National parties contest the poll but once elected the MEPs usually decide to join one of seven European political groupings.

What are the main political groups in the European Parliament?

MEPs are organised by political affiliation and not by nationality.  There are currently seven political groups in the European Parliament. 

• European People's Party (Christian Democrats) 
• Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament
• Renew Europe Group
• The Greens/European Free Alliance
• European Conservatives and Reformists Group
• Identity and Democracy Group
• The Left (GUE/NGL)  

Anyone wanting to form a new political group at the European Parliament requires the support of 23 MEPs from at least seven member states. MEPs who do not have any political affiliations are known as non-attached members.

What are the most important issues?

A recent EuroBarometer survey (https://europa.eu/eurobarometer/surveys/detail/3218) showed that cost-of-living (31%) health (26%) and the economic situation (26%) were the most important issues for voters in the European Union in March 2024. 

When will we know the results?

The vote count will take place simultaneously, starting with the publication of the first national estimate at 18:15 [CET] on June 9, culminating in the first projections expected at 20:15 [CET].  From there, a European overnight marathon will begin: in the iconic hemicycle, parliamentary staff will gradually update the results from all member states.  A clear picture of who has won will not emerge until dawn on June 10, when the EU will wake up with an idea of what majorities might emerge among the 720 newly elected MEP's. 

Text by Pietro Guastamacchia 
Infographics by Yordi Dam 

This article was produced as part of a joint research project by six news agencies (AFP, AGERPRES, ANP, ANSA, DPA & TT) for the European Data News Hub. 

The six agencies worked closely to collect information on previous European elections, voter's chief concerns and the electoral rules in each of the 27 member states.

Each agency also produced their own article to accompany the election guide, looking in depth at a key issue in the run-up to the vote on June 6-9. 

Here are all the stories we have produced for the election guide: