Following petitions signed by thousands of Europeans, the S&D Group is calling on the European Council and Commission to do more to ensure that EU citizens are not excluded from voting simply because they live in another EU member state. Currently citizens from six member states (Cyprus, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Malta and the UK) face restrictions on their right to vote in national elections when they live abroad.

 

S&D Group MEP responsible for the issue in the European Parliament Petitions Committee, Jude Kirton-Darling said:

 

"The fact that EU citizens from various member states lose their right to vote in national elections just because they choose to live in another country is not acceptable. These people are using their right to live, work, study or retire in another member state, which is guaranteed by the EU treaties. This should not mean they lose their right to vote back home.

 

“As we see from the EU referendum vote in the UK, the impact of votes that citizens were not able to take part in can have a huge influence on their lives. Today, we are urging the European Council and Commission to act to ensure that no citizen is left without a vote just because they live in another member state. We urge all member states to adapt their electoral laws to ensure that no citizen is excluded from voting."