This recommendation from the Commission on enhancing the democratic and efficient conduct of the elections to the European Parliament accompanies the Commission Communication entitled ‘Preparing for the 2014 European elections: further enhancing their democratic and efficient conduct’ (please see the summary of the same date).
In order to strengthen the democratic conduct of the European elections of 2014, the Commission recommends :
· encouraging and facilitating information for voters on the affiliation between national parties and European political parties, inter alia by allowing the indication of such an affiliation on the ballots used in those elections;
· informing voters about the affiliation between national parties and European political parties: national political parties should make publicly known ahead of those elections their affiliation with European political parties in all campaign materials, communications and political broadcasts ;
· ensuring European and national political parties make known, ahead of the elections to the European Parliament, the candidate for the function of the President of the European Commission they support and the candidate's programme;
· Member States agree on a common day for elections to the European Parliament with polling stations closing at the same time.
On the efficient conduct of the elections, it is recalled that citizens of the Union have the right to vote and to stand as candidates in elections to the European Parliament in the Member State where they choose to live under the same conditions as the citizens of their Member States of residence. Directive 93/109/EC establishes an information exchange mechanism aimed at ensuring that citizens cannot vote or stand as candidates in more than one Member State in the same elections.
The Commission report on the evaluation of the 2009 European elections has revealed deficiencies in the functioning of the mechanism to prevent multiple voting and candidacies. As indicated in the 2010 EU Citizenship report, these procedures can often result in an excessive burden for national administrations, disproportionate to the actual extent of the problem of multiple voting and multiple candidacies.
Drawing on consultations with electoral experts from Member States, the Commission prepared recommendations to the national electoral authorities on different aspects of the mechanism to prevent multiple voting. The recommendations simplify the mechanism and make it more effective in preventing abuses.
The Commission recommendation advises Member States to :
- set up a single contact authority in charge of the exchange of data on voters;
- take account, as far as possible, of each other's electoral arrangements to ensure data on voters in time for the respective home Member State to take the necessary measures ;
- transmit all relevant personal data, which may be necessary for the identification of voters by the authorities of their home Member State.