Elections in the European Union: 2024 Parliamentary Elections

Elections for the European Parliament will take place over four days from June 6 – 9, 2024, with each member state setting its own election date. The number of polling stations varies from country to country, and also depends on the size of the member state.

The 2024 elections are the first since the United Kingdom’s 2020 exit from the European Union. Observers predict that the elections may see higher turnout than any election since at least 1994 and polls indicate that the elections could lead to significant changes in the composition of the Parliament. Polls and analysts anticipate that the pro-European “grand coalition” that has dominated EU politics since 1989 will lose a collective 20 to 45 seats, but is expected to retain a majority of seats and thus control of Parliament.

Anticipated changes in the composition of the Parliament may have serious ramifications for several significant policy issues that Europe faces. Observers have noted that the anticipated increase in the number of seats held by the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) and Identity and Democracy (ID) political groups could result in a rightward shift in the body’s policymaking on climate regulations and immigration. Furthermore, ID’s opposition to further assistance to Ukraine in its defense against Russia may jeopardize the Parliament’s unified position on support for Ukraine.

A total of 720 members of the European Parliament (MEPs) will be elected in the 2024 elections, 15 more than in the previous election. Each EU Member State will elect a different number of MEPs, apportioned on a degressively proportionate basis to the population of the state. The result will be a proportionally higher allocation of seats to Member States with lower populations

Elections are contested by national political parties. However, once MEPs are elected, most opt to join a transnational political group. Most national parties are affiliated with a Europe-wide political party.

There are currently seven political groups in the European Parliament: 

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

Ten political parties are represented in the European Parliament

• European People’s Party;
• Party of European Socialists;
• Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Party;
• European Democratic Party;
• European Green Party;
• European Free Alliance;
• Identity and Democracy Party (previously the Movement for a Europe of Nations and Freedom);
• European Conservatives and Reformists Party (previously the Alliance of Conservatives and Reformists in Europe);
• Party of the European Left; and
• European Christian Political Movement.

MEPs are elected according to national electoral systems, and thus – with the exception of certain common provisions established by EU law, such as proportional representation – Member States have significant leeway to administer elections according to their own rules. In general, voters can choose among political parties, individual candidates, or both.

European election rules common in all EU countries include:

• Elections take place during a four-day period, from Thursday to Sunday.
• The number of MEPs elected from a political party is proportional to the number of votes it receives.
• EU citizens residing in another EU country can vote and stand for election in that country.
• Each citizen can vote only once.

The procedures for electing MEPs are governed both by European legislation that establishes rules common to all Member States and by specific national provisions, which vary among states. The common provisions lay down the principle of proportional representation, rules on thresholds, and certain incompatibilities with the MEP mandate. National laws govern many other matters, such as the exact electoral system used and the number of constituencies.

Article 39 of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights grants every citizen of the EU the right to vote and stand as a candidate for election to the European Parliament in the Member State in which he or she resides, under the same conditions as nationals of that state. The minimum age to run as a candidate in the European Parliament elections is established by the national laws of each Member State, varying from 18 to 25 years

As MEPs are elected from each Member State, no reserved seats are mandated for women in the European Parliament. However, Member States are free to apply gender quotas for candidate lists. For the upcoming elections, 11 countries applied gender quotas for elections at the EU level.

National election authorities – in particular central election commissions and other electoral management bodies of each Member State – work to ensure that European elections are fair and free from interference and manipulation.

Ensuring the cybersecurity of the European elections is the responsibility of each EU country. This involves protecting networks and information systems related to the elections, as well as their users, against cyber threats that could negatively affect them.

Ahead of the European elections, EU countries cooperate to prepare for potential cyber threats. They are supported by EU institutions, bodies, and agencies, such as the EU Agency for Cybersecurity and the Computer Emergency Response Team for the EU institutions, bodies, and agencies. Organizing safe elections means handling personal data, such as each voter’s name, address, date of birth, or identification number. National election authorities follow EU and national rules to ensure a high level of data protection during the European elections. This includes protecting personal data against unauthorized or unlawful processing and accidental loss.

The election results will be reported live on the European Union’s election results website. The results from each country will be posted after the final day of the European Parliament elections.

• Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union 

• 1976 Electoral Act 

• Election Results Website 

IFES’s Regional Europe Office (REO) in Prague, Czech Republic, serves as a strategic counterbalance to democratic backsliding in the region and works to help build the resilience of democratic stakeholders in advance. Since 2014, IFES REO brings together democratic actors – representatives of public institutions, civil society, and private companies – to convene on critical democratic issues, learn from each other’s challenges and successes, adapt and design innovative approaches so that they can then deploy and use what they have learned to catalyze change back at home.

These FAQs reflect decisions made by the European Parliament as of June 6, 2024 to the best of our knowledge. This document does not represent any International Foundation for Electoral Systems policy or technical recommendations.

This paper is made possible by the generous support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The information herein is provided by the author(s) and does not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government.