During the EP plenary session (5-8 February 2018) in Strasbourg, MEPs debate a legislative initiative to shrink the EP from 751 to 705 MEPs when the UK leaves the EU and to elect a number of MEPs through “transnational” electoral lists comprising the entire territory of the Union. In another resolution, Parliament says it is ready to reject any candidate for EU Commission President who is not nominated as a “lead candidate” (Spitzenkandidat) ahead of the 2019 EU elections. Statements by Danuta Maria HÜBNER (EPP, PL), Jo LEINEN (S&D, DE), Monika PANAYOTOVA, Deputy Minister for the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the EU, Paulo RANGEL (EPP, PT) and António MARINHO E PINTO (ALDE, PT).

Brexit (T)

Strasbourg

debate

plenary session

HÜBNER, Danuta Maria (EPP, PL)

LEINEN, Jo (S&D, DE)

RANGEL, Paulo (EPP, PT)

MARINHO E PINTO, António (ALDE, PT)

PANAYOTOVA, Monika (BG)

composition of the European Parliament (T)

2019 European elections (T)

Reform of the electoral law of the European Union: extracts from the debate

SOUNDBITE (English), Danuta Maria H&#220;BNER (EPP, PL), It is our fundamental duty as the European Parliament to enable participatory democracy, to facilitate building of an bottom-up Europe, and connect citizens with Europe. Connecting Europe with citizens starts with European elections and we need to update the electoral act of 1976.  

SOUNDBITE (English), Danuta Maria H&#220;BNER (EPP, PL), Our outmost goal is to enhance the democratic dimension of the European elections, to reinforce the Union citizenship, to improve the functioning of the Parliament and the governance of the European Union, to make the work of the Parliament more legitimate and efficient, to enhance effectiveness of the elections conduct, and to provide for more electoral quality of the Union citizens.

SOUNDBITE (German), Jo LEINEN (S&amp;D, DE), We have suggested that citizens should be able to see which European parties their national parties belong to in order to have a clearer perspective of what they are doing when they cast their vote and in which direction Europe is actually going. We would also like to have gender equality represented on the ballot papers. It would be very courageous if we lower the vote to age 16 and the attempt for votes to be cast electronically.

SOUNDBITE (English), Monika PANAYOTOVA, Deputy Minister for the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the EU, Let me first stress that the Member States are very much supportive to the general aim of the proposal to enhance public interest and voter turnout in the European Parliament elections. They also share the view that there is a need for increased transparency and awareness rising regarding the European character of the European Parliament elections. But the Member States also stress the important of respecting their constitutional and electoral traditions as well as the principals of subsidiarity and proportionality.

SOUNDBITE (English), Monika PANAYOTOVA, Deputy Minister for the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the EU, We need to pursue our work on this to explore the possibility of compromise that might be acceptable for all. I can assure you that our Presidency has put this file high on this agenda.

SOUNDBITE (English), Paulo RANGEL (EPP, PT), The issue of those national list was very divisive and so there are a lot of States that have this as a red line, and naturally with the vote here that was quite clear, now I think that we have a perspective, an horizon of doing other reforms.

SOUNDBITE (Portuguese), Ant&#243;nio MARINHO E PINTO (ALDE, PT), Unfortunately this Parliament today lost out a rare chance to make a decisive step forward to ensure more European integration, by shooting down the idea of European constituency, and this Parliament has delayed for, God knows how long, a reform which would inject fresh blood into this parliamentary institution and would have let fresh legitimacy to it.