Electoral rights: Commission launches public consultation on electoral rights of mobile EU citizens

Today, the European Commission has launched a public consultation on the electoral rights of mobile EU citizens, as part of the follow-up of the 2020 Citizenship Report. The electoral rights of mobile EU citizens are included in the directives on the exercise of the right to vote and stand as a candidate in elections to the European Parliament (Directive 93/109/EC) as well as in municipal elections, for citizens of the Union residing in a Member State of which they are not nationals of (Directive 94/80/EC). The results of this public consultation will feed into the Commission’s proposal to revise the Directives on the electoral rights of mobile EU citizens. Vice-President Věra Jourová said: ”The essence of democracy is the right to vote for everyone. This is why we want to help securing this right. EU citizens who live in another EU country also have the right to vote and stand as candidate in local or municipal elections – under the same conditions as the nationals of that country.” Didier Reynders, Commissioner for Justice, said: “Political participation is the bedrock of every democracy and free movement is a pillar of the European Union. The Commission ensures that EU citizens can continue to effectively exercise their democratic rights even if they move to another Member State.” A legislative proposal for the revised Directives is expected by the end of 2021. The public consultation will gather experiences and opinions on electoral rights of mobile EU citizens. It is addressed to all interested stakeholders, including the general public, civil society, academia and research institutions, local and national authorities, as well as communication companies and other businesses. The public consultation is available here and will be open until 12 July 2021.