Documenten - Think Tank - Europees Parlement

Briefing - Stock-taking of the European Elections 2024 - 13-03-2025

Wed, 12 Mar 2025 23:00:00 GMT

The European Electoral Act decrees that the Members of the European �Ϸ��վ shall be elected on the basis of proportional representation, using the list system or the single transferable vote. There is much leeway for a Member State to turn terms like “proportional representation” or “the list system” into executable rules. As a result, Member States differ considerably as to their electoral provisions. The briefing presents an overview of the vote patterns used by the Member States, of the apportionment methods to convert the votes of a domestic electorate into seats for the competing parties, and of the ways in which the seats of a party are assigned to this party's candidates.

Bron : © Europese Unie, 2025 - EP

Kort overzicht - Current membership of the European Council - 05-03-2025

Tue, 04 Mar 2025 23:00:00 GMT

The European Council consists of the 27 Heads of State or Government of the EU Member States, who are voting members, together with the President of the European Council and the President of the European Commission, who have no vote (Article 15(2) Treaty on European Union). The chart shows the current members, the national office they hold, their most recent European political affiliation, and the year their membership began.

Bron : © Europese Unie, 2025 - EP

Kort overzicht - Mobile EU citizens' right to join political parties in the Member State of their residence - 20-12-2024

Thu, 19 Dec 2024 23:00:00 GMT

Article 22 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) establishes the right of mobile EU citizens – i.e. those residing in a Member State of which they are not nationals – to stand as candidates in elections to the European �Ϸ��վ and municipal elections in the Member State of residence under the same conditions as nationals of that Member State. In two closely linked judgments, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) ruled that this included mobile EU citizens' right to join political parties in the Member State of their residence.

Bron : © Europese Unie, 2024 - EP

Briefing - Europees Parlement: feiten en cijfers - 22-11-2024

Fri, 22 Nov 2024 16:35:21 GMT

Deze briefing van de Onderzoeksdienst van het Europees Parlement biedt een waaier aan belangrijke feiten en cijfers over het Europees Parlement (EP). De leden, organisatie en werkzaamheden van het Parlement in de huidige zittingsperiode (juli 2024 tot juni 2029) en de voorgaande zittingsperioden van vijf jaar sinds de invoering van rechtstreekse verkiezingen in juni 1979 worden in kaart gebracht aan de hand van verschillende grafieken.

Bron : © Europese Unie, 2024 - EP

Kort overzicht - Size of political groups in the European �Ϸ��վ - 18-07-2024

Wed, 17 Jul 2024 22:00:00 GMT

Our infographic provides and overview of the political groups formed in the European �Ϸ��վ after elections in June 2024. Eight political goups have been formed since the elections. The biggest group remains the EPP with 188 seats (26.1% of total), followed by S&D group with 136 seats (18.9%). Patriots for Europe, a newly formed group takes the third place with 84 seats (11.7%), ahead of ECR group (78 seats, 10.8%) and Renew Europe (77 seats, 10.7%). Three more groups - The Greens/EFA, The Left and a new group called Europe of Sovereign Nations - represent less than 10% of the seats each.

Bron : © Europese Unie, 2024 - EP

Kort overzicht - Outcome of the informal dinner of EU leaders of 17 June 2024 - 19-06-2024

Tue, 18 Jun 2024 22:00:00 GMT

On 17 June, the European Council members met for an informal dinner to discuss the results of the 2024 European �Ϸ��վ elections and possible candidates for the leadership positions in the coming EU institutional cycle. The Heads of State or Government did not come to any decision on the appointments, and indeed they were not due to take any formal decision at this stage in the procedure. High-level discussions will now take place between the European Council and the European �Ϸ��վ, as well as between the political families. The EU leaders are expected to agree on the package of high-level EU posts, and on the political priorities for the next 5 years, at the formal European Council meeting on 27 28 June 2024.

Bron : © Europese Unie, 2024 - EP

Briefing - 'Europeanising' the electoral ballot - 16-05-2024

Wed, 15 May 2024 22:00:00 GMT

This briefing discusses the issue of the 'Europeanisation' of the ballot papers in Member States ahead of the 2024 European �Ϸ��վ elections. �Ϸ��վ has made two recent attempts at electoral reform seeking to 'Europeanise the European elections. The second of these – still to be agreed with the Council – seeks to align electoral rules across the EU Member States. With the 2024 European elections imminent, it is useful to take a closer look at the rules as they currently stand. The focus of this briefing is the notion of the 'Europeanisation' of the electoral ballot in its narrowest sense, namely whether ballot papers used in each Member State for the European �Ϸ��վ elections can include the logos and/or names of the European political parties to which the respective national political parties are affiliated. This exploration of the issue of the visibility of European political parties on the ballot papers for European elections is broken down into three parts. The first is the rationale behind and progress in the 'Europeanisation' of the European electoral process, with a particular focus on reforms geared towards showing the affiliation of national parties to European political parties on the ballot paper. The EU institutions have taken several initiatives intended to inject mutual European features into the national political processes ahead of the elections to the European �Ϸ��վ. The second is a discussion of the data on European features of national ballot papers for the 2014 and 2019 European �Ϸ��վ elections. The third part analyses the current state of ballot papers in all Member States, i.e. those applicable to the 2024 European elections, examining the extent to which Member States allow or forbid the visibility of European political party logos and/or names on the ballot paper for the European elections. This last section includes a synopsis of the similarities and differences between Member States.

Bron : © Europese Unie, 2024 - EP

Briefing - Towards new rules on transparency and targeting of political advertising - 26-04-2024

Thu, 25 Apr 2024 22:00:00 GMT

Political advertising is central to informing and influencing how people vote, and may affect citizens' perceptions of the legitimacy of their political system, mainly when published in the run-up to elections. Therefore, rules governing political advertising are vital to guaranteeing citizens' fundamental rights and the integrity of democratic processes. However, traditional campaigning regulations can be ineffective or difficult to enforce online, where new techniques are utilised to target potential voters, with tailored political messages based on large amounts of personal data revealing their preferences, demographic attributes and personality traits. To address the new challenges posed by political campaigns, the European Commission proposed a harmonised set of rules on the transparency and targeting of political advertising applicable to both online and offline political advertising. The Council adopted its mandate for negotiations in December 2022, and the �Ϸ��վ its own mandate in February 2023. After lengthy deliberations, the co-legislators reached agreement in November 2023, and adopted the new regulation in early 2024. It entered into force on 9 April 2024, and most provisions will take effect on 10 October 2025. However, those ruling out discrimination by providers of political advertising services based on place of residence or establishment of the advertising European political party or sponsor thereof take effect immediately, i.e. in time for the 2024 European elections. Third edition of a briefing originally drafted by Maria Díaz Crego. The 'EU Legislation in Progress' briefings are updated at key stages throughout the legislative procedure.

Bron : © Europese Unie, 2024 - EP

Studie - Key Issues in the European Council - State of play in March 2024 - 18-03-2024

Mon, 18 Mar 2024 14:53:45 GMT

This EPRS publication, 'Key issues in the European Council', which is updated every quarter to coincide with European Council meetings, seeks to provide an overview of the institution's activities on major EU issues. It analyses 12 broad policy areas, explaining the legal and political background, the main priorities and orientations defined by the European Council and the results of its involvement to date, as well as some of the future challenges in each policy field.

Bron : © Europese Unie, 2024 - EP

Kort overzicht - Transparency and targeting of political advertising - 21-02-2024

Wed, 21 Feb 2024 09:05:07 GMT

On 6 November 2023, the �Ϸ��վ and Council reached a provisional political agreement on a draft regulation on transparency and targeting of political advertising. The �Ϸ��վ is due to vote at first reading during its February II plenary session. The Council is then expected to finalise the legislative procedure at first reading. Following their formal adoption, the new rules will start applying 18 months after their entry into force. However, those on the non-discriminatory provision of cross-border political advertising (including for European political parties and political groups) will take effect in time for the forthcoming European �Ϸ��վ elections.

Bron : © Europese Unie, 2024 - EP

Briefing - Seventy years of transnational political groups in the European �Ϸ��վ: Origins and trajectories - 12-12-2023

Mon, 11 Dec 2023 23:00:00 GMT

The creation and formalisation of the European �Ϸ��վ's political groups goes back to June 1953 and the establishment of the European Coal and Steel Community's Common Assembly. This briefing analyses the evolution of the groups' structures and trajectories until the European elections in 2019. It shows how the conflict between national, political and transnational ideological allegiances of delegated Members of the Common Assembly was already present from the start, providing an important impetus for the formalisation of the political groups. This formalisation created the basis for the groups' key role in structuring the work of the Common Assembly and later of the European �Ϸ��վ. �Ϸ��վ's competence for its own budget meanwhile made the groups' formalisation imperative to allow the distribution of funds for office space, secretariats and policy-making resources. The structure and power distribution among the groups has remained relatively stable to the present day. Changing national-level cleavages, such as the emergence of the Green and populist far-right parties has been reflected in the groups' structure and composition. However, the number of groups has never exceeded ten and has been stable at seven since 2004, limiting the institutional impact of growing diversity. Key institutional factors for this relatively high concentration and stability include the budgetary and institutional benefits of group membership for individual Members of the European �Ϸ��վ, and the importance of powerful and cohesive groups for exercising influence both in �Ϸ��վ and in the EU's legislative process. While research into the history of the political groups is still in its infancy, possible areas worth exploring include the role of chairs and secretaries-general in organising and leading groups. This briefing follows up a roundtable event hosted by EPRS on 27 June 2023, which included contributions by Hans-Gert Pöttering, former chair of the EPP Group and European �Ϸ��վ President, Hannes Swoboda, former chair of the S&D Group, Gijs de Vries, former chair of the ELDR Group, and Jürgen Mittag, Sport University Cologne.

Bron : © Europese Unie, 2023 - EP

Briefing - Gender budgeting in the Member States - 17-10-2023

Mon, 16 Oct 2023 22:00:00 GMT

This briefing gives an overview of the state of play of gender budgeting in the EU Member States. Their parliaments were asked to fill out a questionnaire regarding gender budgeting in their national policies. Replies from 24 countries have been received. Nine countries do neither practise gender budgeting nor consider to introduce it. The reason given is that often the country’s gender equality policy is seen as sufficient. Three countries have not yet introduced gender budgeting but are discussing its potential usefulness. It is often seen as a next step in the country’s gender mainstreaming approach. The remaining 12 countries have introduced gender budgeting. They are at different stages in its implementation: Some are running pilot projects, for others it is part of the annual budget procedure. Countries at more advanced stages are now trying to improve the implementation, data collection and documentation. These countries are also considering to introduce performance budgeting in other areas related to social or environmental policies.

Bron : © Europese Unie, 2023 - EP

Kort overzicht - Germany's slow implementation of the 2018 EU electoral reform and unease over electoral thresholds - 25-09-2023

Sun, 24 Sep 2023 22:00:00 GMT

On 15 June and 7 July 2023, the German Federal �Ϸ��վ approved the 2018 reform of the EU rules on elections to the European �Ϸ��վ, and that approval is now awaiting promulgation before it takes effect. Enacting the reform requires the approval of all EU Member States. All but two – Cyprus and Spain – have given their approval. Cyprus is preparing to finalise its approval procedure, but Spain has not yet launched its. Once all Member States have given their approval and the EU reform law becomes binding, those with constituencies of more than 35 seats must set therein a threshold of 2-5 % – but only as of the second set of European elections after the law has entered into force. The German Federal �Ϸ��վ's lower house (Bundestag) rejected a proposal to set the threshold at 2 %, raising questions about Germany's ultimate choice.

Bron : © Europese Unie, 2023 - EP

Briefing - Length of the election campaign and the electoral silence period in European �Ϸ��վ elections - 08-09-2023

Thu, 07 Sep 2023 22:00:00 GMT

In May 2023, the Council of the EU confirmed that the next elections to the European �Ϸ��վ – the tenth since the first direct elections in 1979 – will take place from 6 to 9 June 2024. Ahead of Election Day, candidates and political parties will carry out electoral activities throughout the European Union (EU) to explain their political programmes and vision for the future of the EU to the electorate. In the same context, debates will take place on national platforms and media. Currently, election campaigns are largely regulated at national level, which means that there are differences among the EU Member States as to the activities allowed during the election period. However, election campaigns across the EU share a number of traits in terms of prohibitions and limitations. For example, although not all Member States have rules on whether and as from when election silence applies, most of them restrict election canvassing or the publishing of election polls on Election Day or immediately before the opening of the ballots. Pending the adoption of an electoral reform intended to harmonise at least some of the aspects of the election campaign, such as its start (not earlier than 8 weeks before Election Day) and its end, as well as the start and the end of the election silence period (48 hours before Election Day), this briefing looks at the Member States' rules on the length of the election campaign period and the election silence period ahead of the European �Ϸ��վ elections (European elections). This briefing is one in a series published in the run-up to the 2024 European �Ϸ��վ elections. It does not focus on election advertising, election funding or how election procedures are regulated in the individual Member States.

Bron : © Europese Unie, 2023 - EP

Studie - Spitzenkandidaten or the lead candidate process: Ways to Europeanise elections to the European �Ϸ��վ - 09-06-2023

Fri, 09 Jun 2023 18:23:44 GMT

With the intention of informing discussion in the approach to the 2024 European elections, this study examines the historical, factual and legal aspects surrounding the Spitzenkandidaten, or lead candidate process, which establishes a political link between the nomination of the President of the European Commission and the political composition of the European �Ϸ��վ. This study retraces the evolution of �Ϸ��վ's role in the investiture of the President of the Commission, explains the reasons why such an innovation was deemed necessary as early as the early 1990s and assesses the results of this innovative process in the last two elections. The lead candidate process achieved its purposes with the election of Jean Claude Juncker as President of the European Commission in 2014, while this was not the case in 2019, Ursula von der Leyen not having been a candidate. There is therefore some uncertainty over the future of the lead candidate process and whether there is appetite for a repetition in 2024. This paper takes stock of the reasons for the failure in 2019 and assesses the aspects that performed well, and those that did not, in the past. The analysis concludes with proposals for the future, with a view to healing the fractures that emerged during the last appointment process, seeking to explore how the lead candidate process may become part of the European Union's institutional set-up.

Bron : © Europese Unie, 2023 - EP

Briefing - Political parties, voter mobilisation and the 1979 European elections - 07-06-2023

Tue, 06 Jun 2023 22:00:00 GMT

As part of its 'New Push for European Democracy', the European Commission has proposed a revision of Regulation No 1141/2014 on the statute and funding of the European political parties and European political foundations. �Ϸ��վ (EP) is currently discussing the Commission proposal, with the Constitutional Affairs (AFCO) Committee having appointed Rainer Wieland (EPP, Germany) and Charles Goerens (Renew, Luxembourg) as co-rapporteurs. This activity surrounding the governance of European political parties (or 'Europarties') reveals a widely held belief that they play a crucial role in transnational democracy in the European Union (EU), in particular as intermediaries between the EP and the European citizen. Indeed, Article 10(4) of the Treaty on European Union explicitly states that they 'contribute to forming European political awareness and to expressing the will of citizens of the Union'. However, in the years preceding the first EP elections in 1979, while the concern to connect with and mobilise citizens was widespread, there was less agreement on the need for European parties. As this briefing shows, though it was universally accepted that political parties were necessary to prepare the public for the first European elections, the idea that self-standing European parties were a pre-requisite for successful European elections eventually gave way to the notion of European parties as a coordinating structure for national parties’ autonomous campaigns. Strikingly, this debate over the nature of European parties and their relationship to European elections continues to this day, highlighting its importance for European integration. This briefing traces the debates in the European �Ϸ��վ on the role of political parties in preparing the European electorate for the first direct European elections in 1979, starting from the preparation of the 1960 Draft Convention on European elections. The briefing concludes with a short discussion of the evolution of Europarties and EP elections after 1979, in the light of the pre-1979 debates.

Bron : © Europese Unie, 2023 - EP

Briefing - Revision of Council Directive 93/109/EC: Electoral rights of mobile EU citizens in elections to the European �Ϸ��վ - 09-02-2023

Wed, 08 Feb 2023 23:00:00 GMT

On 25 November 2021, the European Commission submitted a proposal to modify Directive 93/109/EC on the right of mobile European Union (EU) citizens – those residing in a Member State of which they are not nationals – to vote and stand as candidates in elections to the European �Ϸ��վ. The proposal was presented with three others: to modify the rules on EU citizens' rights in municipal elections; to set rules on political advertising; and to revise the rules on EU political party and foundation funding. Directive 93/109/EC gives EU citizens the same rights to vote and to be elected in European �Ϸ��վ elections as the citizens of the Member State in which they reside; Member States have varying rules on the exercise of these rights. The Commission proposal seeks to address some of the concerns raised about the implementation of the directive. In �Ϸ��վ, the file was referred to the Committee on Constitutional Affairs. The committee adopted its report on 1 December 2022 and a vote in plenary is scheduled for the February II 2023 plenary session. First edition. The 'EU Legislation in Progress' briefings are updated at key stages throughout the legislative procedure.

Bron : © Europese Unie, 2023 - EP

Kort overzicht - Current Membership of the European Council December 2022 - 13-12-2022

Mon, 12 Dec 2022 23:00:00 GMT

Briefing - Xi re-elected to China's top job [What Think Tanks are thinking] - 28-10-2022

Thu, 27 Oct 2022 22:00:00 GMT

Xi-Jinping won a third term in China's top job, as secretary general of the Communist Party, at its Congress in October, solidifying his grip on power over a country which has become increasingly autocratic and abrasive in its foreign policy during his 10-year reign to date. Xi's re-election for a third term broke with China's recent tradition of leaders being replaced after two terms, in a sign he will yield power in a manner reminiscent of communist China's founder Mao Zedong. His new reign begins amid fears that China might try to annex Taiwan, and with questions over the extent to which he will support Russia in its war against Ukraine. Domestically, Xi faces challenges including faltering growth, a property crisis, and huge debt levels. This note gathers links to the recent publications and commentaries from many international think tanks on China, its international relations and domestic policies.

Bron : © Europese Unie, 2022 - EP

Briefing - China's 20th Party Congress - 19-10-2022

Tue, 18 Oct 2022 22:00:00 GMT

The 20th Congress of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) opened in Beijing on 16 October 2022. Its main task is, in theory, to decide on the composition of the Central Committee, which in the legal fiction in turn decides, immediately following the Congress, whether to grant current General Secretary Xi a third mandate, and determines the composition of the Standing Committee of the Politburo (SCPB). Observers are alert for any sign that the principle of collective leadership has eroded further and for any hint about the future direction of economic, foreign and health policies in China. General Secretary Xi delivered the traditional work report on 16 October, describing the Party's accomplishments since the previous Congress in 2017 and giving general guidelines for the five-years ahead of the 21st Party Congress. In his report, Xi highlighted his accomplishments since the 18th Congress in 2012, which installed him as CCP General Secretary, and placed himself on the same level as founder of the People's Republic of China, Mao Zedong, and Deng Xiaoping, who launched China's very successful economic reforms in 1978. On economic policies, Xi promised on the one hand to foster a 'world-class business environment' that is market-oriented and law-based, while at the same time insisting on the need for stronger CCP influence including in mixed-ownership and non-public enterprises. He promised that China would continue to promote trade and investment liberalisation, while simultaneously demanding greater self-reliance. The same ambiguity also characterises his interventions on China's foreign policies: Xi insisted that China respects the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries, but did not mention Russia's invasion of Ukraine. General Secretary Xi also stressed that reunification with Taiwan was China's affair and concerns the Chinese alone, while repeating the usual lines on Taiwan, including the right to use non-peaceful means. He also referred to the 'strengthening of mechanisms for countering foreign sanctions, interference and long-arm jurisdiction' as part of his national security improvement agenda.

Bron : © Europese Unie, 2022 - EP

Briefing - Tracking the EU Commissioners’ commitments - Von der Leyen Commission, 2019 - 2024: Věra Jourová - 20-09-2022

Mon, 19 Sep 2022 22:00:00 GMT

Kort overzicht - Recasting the rules applicable to European political parties and foundations - 07-09-2022

Tue, 06 Sep 2022 22:00:00 GMT

During the September 2022 plenary session, �Ϸ��վ is expected to debate and vote the report concerning the Commission proposal to recast the Regulation on the statute and funding of European political parties and foundations. The report was adopted by the Committee on Constitutional Affairs (AFCO) on 13 July 2022 – with 18 votes for, 4 against and 2 abstentions – and includes 36 amendments to the original proposal.

Bron : © Europese Unie, 2022 - EP

Briefing - The Conference on the Future of Europe and the European Council: How far is there a shared policy agenda for the future? - 09-06-2022

Thu, 09 Jun 2022 08:26:49 GMT

After one year of deliberation, the Conference on the Future of Europe (CoFoE) delivered its first result in the form of 49 proposals, including concrete objectives, and more than 320 potential measures on ways of achieving them. As a follow up to the CoFoE, the European �Ϸ��վ called on 4 May 2022 for the launch of a Convention under Article 48 TEU; this request has also received the support of some EU leaders, notably the French President, Emmanuel Macron, the Italian Prime Minister, Mario Draghi, and the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen. The 23-24 June 2022 European Council meeting is expected to discuss the results of the CoFoE, and EU Heads of State or Government are likely to lay out their views on its possible follow-up. In this context, this EPRS Briefing addresses two complementary aspects of the discussions in the European Council. Firstly, it compares and analyses, based on the annexed table, the objectives set by the CoFoE in its proposals with the Strategic Agenda 2019-2024, as well as subsequent conclusions of the European Council, and identifies the areas of convergence and differences as well as ‘blank spots’. It thereby locates the potential common ground for (inter-)institutional follow-up to the CoFoE. Secondly, it provides an overview of initial views on the possible follow-up to the CoFoE, by outlining recent positions of EU leaders and EU institutions on the need for Treaty change.

Bron : © Europese Unie, 2022 - EP

Studie - Right-wing extremism in the EU - 20-05-2022

Thu, 19 May 2022 22:00:00 GMT

This study, commissioned by the European �Ϸ��վ’s Policy Department for Citizens’ Rights and Constitutional Affairs at the request of the LIBE Committee, provides a discussion on the distinctive features of right-wing extremism as well as of violent actions perpetrated by right-wing extremists in the EU. It gives an overview and analysis of definitions, recent trends and responses to these actions and concludes with recommendations. In particular, the study highlights the need to develop a working definition of right wing-extremism in order to provide a better framework for understanding, studying and measuring the phenomenon

Bron : © Europese Unie, 2022 - EP

Studie - Practices on the Side-Earnings of EU Public Office Holders and Functionaries - 05-05-2022

Wed, 04 May 2022 22:00:00 GMT

The study on ‘Practices on the Side-Earnings of EU Public Office Holders and Functionaries’ was carried out for the European �Ϸ��վ’s Budgetary Control Committee in 2022. The study highlights significant differences in the rules being applied in the various EU Institutions and Member States. It highlights a number of good practices and the possible implications for the proposed EU ethics body.

Bron : © Europese Unie, 2022 - EP