EU rules have been updated to make it easier for EU citizens living in a different member state to vote and stand as candidates in municipal elections.
The revised Directive covers “mobile EU citizens” — people who have moved to another EU country — and sets out new requirements for how national authorities provide election information and handle registration, the European Commission announced on Wednesday.
Member states must provide timely and clear information on election dates, voting procedures and the rights of voters and candidates, it said.
That information must also be made available in at least one other official EU language that is widely understood by voters.
The Directive also simplifies the registration process for both voters and candidates, and requires that mobile EU citizens have access to the same voting arrangements as nationals.
Henna Virkkunen, the Commission’s Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy, said the changes are intended to remove “unnecessary bureaucratic hurdles” for people who have built their lives in another member state.
Deadline for national law changes
There are 14 million mobile EU citizens in the EU, Michael McGrath, Commissioner for Democracy, Justice, the Rule of Law and Consumer Protection, said.
Member states have until 26 June 2028 to transpose the Directive into national law, the Commission emphasised. It will report on the effective application of the rules every six years.
