The opportunity to freely travel, reside, work, and pursue education in any EU country has been transformative for citizens and is a core aspect of European Union citizenship. This year, a record-breaking number of elections will take place in 50 countries, attracting over 2 billion voters globally [1].
More than ever, it is crucial to reinforce the right of EU mobile citizens to vote and stand as candidates in elections in the EU country where they reside. While a significant 74% cherish the ability to vote while living abroad [2], many EU mobile citizens lack interest in their host country's political landscape, resulting in low political participation.
Under the same conditions as nationals, every citizen of the Union has the right to vote and to run for office in municipal and European elections in the country they reside in, as enshrined in Article 40 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights.
In the current political sphere, elections are a pivotal defence against rising anti-democratic forces that threaten our core freedoms and the foundational principles of the European Union, including the rule of law and human rights.
The European Union boasts approximately 11 million mobile EU citizens [3] of who are eligible to vote, constituting over 2% of the total voting demographic across the EU. Yet, numerous barriers impeding the political engagement of EU mobile citizens need proactive solutions to enable their active involvement in the democratic process.
In recent years, the European Citizen Action Service (ECAS) has conducted several focus groups in Member States holding municipal elections. These sessions aimed to uncover the reasons behind the lack of engagement of EU mobile citizens in their host countries and explore solutions that can foster their political rights and encourage them both to vote and stand as candidates.
The findings from the focus groups indicate that the main barriers to political engagement of EU mobile citizens can be categorised into four groups:
1) language barriers.
2) administrative burdens (including lack of training of civil servants).
3) lack of precise data on participation.
4) limited awareness of citizens on the role of the EU institutions.
Efforts to engage EU mobile citizens in political awareness campaigns are lacking. This is compounded by language barriers that hinder access to vital information on voting procedures and political manifestos that are often not translated into English or the most widely spoken language of the EU mobile community.
©Edmond Dantès from Pexels/canva.com
Further action is also needed to alleviate administrative burdens and streamline procedures, as registration processes are often complex, with deadlines set months before the voting day, and options like proxy voting or e-voting are very limited in most Member States, if not non-existent. Moreover, municipalities fail to engage with the EU mobile community to inform them about their right to vote and stand as candidates for both EU and municipal elections. Enhanced training of civil servants dealing with EU mobile citizens would be needed to ensure adequate knowledge about EU political rights and effectively inform newcomers.
To understand why political participation is low, it is also essential to gather precise data on the political participation of EU mobile citizens in municipal and European Parliament elections in their host Member State. The EU mobile community does not constitute a heterogeneous group. Therefore, understanding the level of participation in each sub-group (e.g., age, duration of the stay in the host country, language proficiency, etc.) can provide insights into specific barriers each group faces.
The EU mobile community is the embodiment of an integrated European Union that gives each citizen the right to freedom of movement and residence, a cornerstone of EU citizenship as established by the Treaty of Maastricht in 1992.
The new European Commission and Members of the European Parliament are urged to promote awareness, facilitate the political involvement of EU mobile citizens, and address current barriers. This is an essential demographic with the power to make an effective difference in elections. Streamlining processes in all Member States and informing EU mobile citizens about their political rights upon arrival is crucial to make it easier for them to feel empowered in their rights when settling in a new Member State.
We at the European Citizen Action Service (ECAS) remain committed to advocating for better and higher political participation of the EU mobile community in both municipal and EU elections, providing training to civil servants at the local level, increasing awareness of EU rights, and driving collective action to empower EU mobile citizens' democratic participation in their host countries.
European Citizen Action Service (ECAS)
[1] Masterson, Victoria (2023). 2024 Is a Record Year for Elections – Here’s What You Need to Know. World Economic Forum. www.weforum.org/agenda/2023/12/2024-elections-around-world/
[2] Kantar Public (2018). Special Eurobarometer 477: Democracy and elections. Brussels: European Union.
[3] European Parliament (2022). Make It Easier for 11 Million EU Citizens to Participate in European Elections | News | European Parliament. Europa.eu www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/press-room/20221128IPR58024/make-it-easier-for-11-million-eu-citizens-to-participate-in-european-elections
