REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS on the application of Directive 94/80/EC on the right to vote and to stand as a candidate in municipal elections
Date: 2018-01-25
Institutions: Directorate-General for Justice and Consumers, European Commission
Subjects: EU Member State, EU national, EU statistics, application of EU law, local election, right to stand for election, right to vote, turnout of voters

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   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 25.1.2018 COM(2018) 44 final  REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS on the application of Directive 94/80/EC on the right to vote and to stand as a candidate in municipal elections   
 
 
1.  1.  INTRODUCTION 

The future of Europe rests on the ability of its people to uphold the common values that bind 
them  together:  democracy,  rule  of  law  and  fundamental  rights.  Free  and  fair  elections  are  a 
basic  expression  of  democracy,  and  elections  in  the  EU  must  follow  the  highest  democratic 
standards.  As  Commission  President  Juncker  declared  in  his  State  of  the  Union  speech  in 
September 2017,1 now is the time to build a more united, stronger and more democratic Europe 
for 2025. 

Municipal or local government is the level of governance closest to European citizens and an 
essential part of European political life that affects people directly. Participating democratically 
in  municipal  elections  reflects  wider  engagement  in  the  local  community.  It  is  also  linked  to 
better inclusion in society, a sense of belonging and broader democratic engagement. However, 
EU citizens who have exercised their right to move and reside freely within the territory of the 
Member States (‘mobile EU citizens’) risk disconnecting from local political culture when they 
move. 

1.1. The right to vote in municipal elections 

EU citizenship gives every EU citizen the right to vote and stand as candidate in municipal and 
European Parliament elections regardless of whether they are a national of the EU country in 
which they reside, and this  under the same conditions as  nationals. This right  is  enshrined in 
Article  22(1)  of  the  Treaty  on  the  Functioning  of  the  European  Union2.  The  detailed 
arrangements for the exercise of this right are laid down by Council Directive 94/80/EC (‘the 
Directive’)3.  

However, two restrictions exist. First, a Member State may decide that only its own nationals 
are eligible to run for head of the executive body of a basic local government unit4. Second, if 
more  than  20 %  of  the  eligible  voting  population  are  non-nationals,  a  Member  State  may 
require an additional period of residence to take part in municipal elections. 

1.2. Content of the report 

With this third report5, which follows up on the 2017 EU citizenship report, the Commission 
takes  stock of  the  extent  to  which  since  2012  EU  citizens  have  been  exercising  their  right  to 
vote in municipal elections in the Member State of residence. 

The report is largely based on data that Member States provided directly in a questionnaire sent 
to the relevant national authorities. The questionnaire sought information about the size of the 
mobile  EU  citizen  electorate  in  each  Member  State  and  their  representation  on  the  electoral 
rolls for municipal elections in their Member State of residence. Information was also sought 
about the voting turnout of these citizens in the most recent municipal elections and about what 
was done to encourage such turnout. This information has been combined and complemented 

1 http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_SPEECH-17-3165_en.htm  
2  It  is  also  a  fundamental  right  laid  down  by  Article  40  of  the  Charter  of  fundamental  rights  of  the  European 
Union. 
3  Council  Directive  94/80/EC  of  19  December  1994  laying  down  detailed  arrangements  for  the  exercise  of  the 
right to vote and to stand as a candidate in municipal elections by citizens of the Union residing in a Member State 
of which they are not nationals (OJ L 368, 31.12.1994, p. 38). 
4 These terms are defined in the Directive, and would be e.g. a town mayor. 
5  The  first  report  on  transposition  and  implementation  of  the  Directive  under  Article  13  was  adopted  by  the 
Commission in 2002 (COM(2002) final 260). The second report was adopted in 2012 (COM(2012) 99, 9.3.2012). 
It assessed the state of transposition and implementation in the Member States which had joined the EU since 2002 
and reported on the Commission’s assessment of the declarations to the Directive under Article 14. 

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with other Commission data. Because national and municipal electoral and population registers 
each have their specific features, data was not available in all cases.  

2.  2.  AWARENESS AND PARTICIPATION 

Since  free  movement  was  first  enshrined  in  the  Treaties,  it  has  become  much  easier  to  live, 
work,  study  and  travel  in  the  European  Union.  The  largest  absolute  numbers  of  mobile  EU 
citizens were found in Germany, the UK, France, Spain and Italy. The largest shares of the total 
population represented by mobile EU citizens were in Luxembourg, Cyprus, Ireland, Belgium 
and Austria. 

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Figure  1:  Population  on  01.01.2016  of  mobile  EU  citizens  of  voting  age  (15  years  and 
older) per Member State6 

Eurostat  data  for  2016  on  population  by  age  group,  sex  and  citizenship  [migr_pop1ctz], 
extracted on 31.10.17.  

Many  of  these  mobile  EU  citizens  reside  in  urban  centres,  but  also  outside  the  main  cities, 
where work opportunities act as a deciding factor7. The main countries of nationality of mobile 

6 The relevant Eurostat data on population is available according to three age groups (0-14, 15-64 and 65+). For 
the purposes of this report, the population of voting age is counted from 15 onward. 
7 Exact data on the regions and municipalities where mobile EU citizens live cannot always be obtained. 

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citizens are diverse and vary from country to country and place to place. In some places, such 
as  border  areas,  one  or  only  a  few nationalities  are  represented;  in  other  places  the  picture  is 
more complex. 

EU citizens exercise their right to reside in other Member States, especially to work. They also 
move to study, retire or to join family members. Many mobile EU citizens do not take up the 
citizenship of their host Member State8 but may invest much of their lives and resources there. 

2.1. Awareness of the right to vote or stand as candidate in municipal elections 

Recent  Eurobarometer  surveys  indicate  that  87 %  of  EU  citizens  are  familiar  with  the  term 
"Citizen of the European Union"9. On average, 54 % of Union citizens know about their right 
to vote and stand as a candidate in municipal elections in their Member State of residence. This 
is a significant decrease compared to 201210 and can be observed in all Member States (except 
Croatia, for which no data is available for 2012). While awareness of this right is substantially 
higher now than in 2007, when it was at its lowest level (37 %), it has declined in over half of 
Member States since 2010. 

Figure 2: Awareness of EU electoral rights among citizens, 2007-2015 

A  citizen  of  the  EU  living  in  [OUR  COUNTRY],  has  the  right  to  vote  or  to  stand  as  a  candidate  in 
municipal elections — True 

Source: Flash Eurobarometer No 430 European Union Citizenship (March 2016) 

8 http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/Migration_and_migrant_population_statistics . 
9 Flash Eurobarometer No 430 European Union Citizenship 2016. 
10 66 % knew about the same right in 2012. Flash Eurobarometer No 364 Electoral Rights 2012. 

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2.2. Participation in municipal elections 

Of the more than 16 million mobile EU citizens in 2016, almost 14 million were of voting age 
and eligible to vote. They accounted for 3.25 % of the voting population.  

The number of mobile EU citizens of voting age has increased significantly in many Member 
States since the 2012 report. Since 201411, most Member States have experienced an increase in 
this  population  group,  and  the  overall  number  is  up  by  11.1  %  (from  12.6  to  almost  14 
million)12. 

To  participate  in  a  municipal  election,  a  citizen  must  be  registered  on  the  electoral  roll. 
However,  few  mobile  citizens  appear  to  have  exercised  their  electoral  rights  in  municipal 
elections in recent years in their states of residence — while figures related to voter turnout in 
municipal elections were only available for the handful of states which collect this data, the low 
rates of voter registration in the states which provided data suggest this is the case13. The low 
number  of  Member  States  which  could  provide  data  makes  it  difficult  to  draw  further 
conclusions. Figures 3 and 4 attempt to provide as complete a picture as possible of registration 
using Eurostat data and the questionnaire responses as a base. 
The  formalities  for  mobile  EU  citizens  to  register  on  the  electoral  roll  vary14.  On  the 
Commission's  Your  Europe  portal,  mobile  citizens  can  find  easily  accessible  information  on 
these electoral formalities in their Member State of residence. 

In  Member  States  where  registration  on  the  electoral  roll  is  not  automatic,  the  data  provided 
showed that only 18.5 % of mobile EU citizens who were residents requested to be entered on 
the electoral rolls. The percentage of mobile EU citizens on the electoral roll more than doubles 
to 51.2 % in Member States using automatic enrolment. Some Member States which practice 
automatic enrolment oblige mobile citizens to register their residence, others do not. Therefore, 
in Member States where registration is not obligatory the number of mobile EU citizens on the 
electoral roll will differ from the number of mobile EU citizens who are residents. 

11  The  earliest  period  for  which  largely  complete  data  becomes  available  from  Eurostat  for  this  age  group  of 
mobile citizens. 
12  13  Member  States  experienced  double  digit  percentage  increases:  the  Czech  Republic,  Denmark,  Germany, 
Croatia, Estonia, Malta, the Netherlands, Lithuania, Austria, Romania Slovakia, Finland and the UK. 
13  This 
report 
http://ec.europa.eu/justice/citizen/document/files/final_report_2014_ep_elections_study_cses_10_march_2015.pdf 
14 Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Germany, Denmark, Finland, Hungary, Lithuania, Latvia, Malta, the Netherlands, 
Portugal, Romania, Sweden and Slovenia automatically enrol their citizens on the electoral rolls. 

the  2014  European 

study  prepared 

reflected 

election 

also 

the 

for 

in 

is 

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Figure  3:  Percentage  of  mobile  EU  citizens  registered  to  vote  in  municipal  elections 
(Member States in white do not enrol citizens automatically) 

Based on Eurostat data for 2016 on population by age group, sex and citizenship [migr_pop1ctz], extracted on 
31.10.17and data provided by the Member States 

Figure  4:  Percentage  of  mobile  EU  citizens  registered  to  vote  in  municipal  elections 
(Member States in white do not enrol citizens automatically — Member State data only) 

BELGIUM

LUXEMBOURG

13,7 

17,8 

FRANCE

IRELAND

DENMARK

LITHUANIA

HUNGARY

GREECE

NETHERLANDS

FINLAND

LATVIA

MALTA

22,4 

24,3 

63.6 

92.9 

99.8 

100 

100 

100 

100 

100 

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

Based on Member State data only (Only registration data was provided for Portugal). 

Very  little  data  is  available  on  the  number  of  EU  citizens  who  are  non-nationals  standing  as 
candidates. 20 Member States indicated that such data is not collected or is difficult to obtain. 

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Spain reported the highest number of EU citizens who are non-nationals standing as candidates: 
1 913 mobile EU citizens stood for election there. 

Figure 5: Mobile EU citizens standing as candidate and elected in their State of residence 

LITHUANIA

MALTA

LATVIA

HUNGARY

ROMANIA

DENMARK

1 
5 
2 

9 

2 

10 
5 

8 

6 

41 

53 

65 

LUXEMBOURG

17 

SWEDEN

87 

225 

419 

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

450

Candidates elected

Candidates

Based on data provided by the Member States. (No data for candidates elected in Spain available) 

The  highest  percentages  of  mobile  EU  citizens  elected  in  relation  to  those  who  stood  as 
candidates  were  in  Malta  (22.2 %)  and  Sweden  (20.8 %).  On  average  15.5 %  of  EU  citizens 
who run for office in their host Member State’s municipal elections get elected. 

3.  3.  IMPLEMENTATION OF THE DIRECTIVE 

3.1. Update on transposition 

Seven  Member  States  have  adopted  new  transposition  legislation  since  the  last  report15.  The 
level  of  transposition  of  the  Directive  in  all  Member  States  appears  generally  satisfactory. 
Almost all issues on the Directive's transposition have been successfully resolved, though some 
issues  of  incorrect  or  incomplete  transposition,  which  could  represent  an  obstacle  to  the  full 
exercise of electoral rights, are still being discussed with specific Member States. 

Definitions and common principles 
Member  States  have  effectively  transposed  the  definitions  of  terms  in  Article  216  of  the 
Directive. Different practices have been adopted at national level mainly for the definition of 
‘electoral  roll’.  Some  Member  State  legislation establishes a  separate  roll (Cyprus)  or  part  of 
the roll (Bulgaria, Poland, France, Italy, Czech Republic and Romania) for mobile EU citizens. 

Beneficiaries of the right to vote 

Some Member States had incorrectly transposed Article 3 of the Directive and required mobile 
EU citizens to have permanent residence for 5 years to vote or stand as candidate in municipal 
elections. Since then, all Member States have amended their national legislation and removed 

15 Finland, Hungary, Malta, Slovenia, UK, Luxembourg and Sweden. 
16  Article  2  defines  ‘basic  local  government  unit’,  ‘municipal  elections’,  ‘Member  State  of  residence’,  ‘home 
Member State’, ‘electoral roll’, ‘reference date’, ‘formal declaration’. 

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any such requirements.17 In one Member State, mobile EU citizens without fixed abode could 
not  register  to  vote,  even  though  the  nationals  of  that  Member  State  could.  The  national 
legislation was changed and the issue resolved. 

Conditions of residence 

Article 4 of the Directive lays down that when the nationals of a Member State have to reside in 
the territory of that State for a certain minimum period to vote and stand for election, they are 
deemed to have fulfilled that condition if they resided for an equivalent period in other Member 
States.  The  Commission  is  still  assessing  how  this  provision  is  being  implemented  by  one 
Member State. 

Specific exclusions 

The Directive allows Member States to deprive citizens of their right to stand as candidate in 
municipal elections if, through an individual decision, they have been deprived of their right to 
stand as a candidate under the law of their home Member State. 

Incompatibility of mandates 

Persons standing as candidates are subject to the same conditions on incompatibility as those 
which apply to the nationals of the Member State of residence. This provision appears to have 
been correctly transposed in all Member States. 

General conditions for exercising the right to vote 

Article 7 provides that EU citizens may exercise their right to vote in municipal elections in the 
Member State of residence if they so request. Most Member States adopt a favourable system 
of automatic registration on the electoral roll18.  

Entry on the electoral roll 

Member States have to fulfil certain duties provided by the Directive to make it easy for mobile 
EU citizens to register on the electoral roll. 

In particular, Member States must take the necessary measures to enable voters to be entered on 
the  electoral  roll  sufficiently  in  advance  of  polling  day.  Furthermore,  non-national  citizens 
requesting to be entered on the electoral roll should only need to provide the same documents 
as a national. However, Member States may require a non-national citizen to produce a valid 
identity  document,  along  with  a  formal  declaration  stating  his/her  nationality,  and  his/her 
address in the Member State of residence. 

Supporting documents to stand as candidate 

EU  citizens  entitled  to  stand  as  candidate  should  only  need  to  produce  the  same  supporting 
documents  as  national  citizens.  A  limited  number  of  optional  documents  may  be  required  by 
the  Member  States  other  than  a  formal  declaration  stating  nationality  and  address  in  the 
Member State of residence. 

National legislation which requires the submission of a certificate from the home Member State 
attesting that the citizen has not been deprived of the right to stand as a candidate would not be 
compliant with the Directive. Such a certificate can only be requested if the authenticity of the 
declaration  is  in  doubt.  Otherwise,  it  would  constitute  an  additional  burden  on  mobile  EU 
citizens.  Requiring  the  reference  number  of  a  residence  certificate  would  also  not  be  in 
compliance with the Directive. The Commission brought infringement proceedings against one 

17 See nevertheless for further reference point 3.3. 
18  Bulgaria,  Czech  Republic,  Germany,  Denmark,  Finland,  Hungary,  Lithuania,  Latvia,  Malta,  the  Netherlands, 
Portugal, Romania, Sweden and Slovenia. 

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Member  State  that  imposed  such  additional  requirements,  following  which  the  national 
legislation was amended and brought into compliance with the Directive. 

Information requirements for Member States 

The  Directive  requires  that  the  Member  State  of  residence  inform  mobile  EU  citizens  of  the 
conditions and detailed arrangements for the exercise of electoral rights in municipal elections 
‘in good time and in an appropriate manner’. The Netherlands, as member of the Commission’s 
expert group on electoral matters, has proposed a multilingual form to make this exchange of 
information easier. The form is currently under consideration by other Member State experts. 

In  particular,  mobile  citizens  have  the  right  to  be  informed  of  the  action  taken  on  their 
applications  to  be  entered  on  the  electoral  roll  or  to  stand  as  a  candidate.  If  a  request  to  be 
entered  on  the  electoral  roll  or  to  stand  as  a  candidate  is  rejected  by  the  Member  State  of 
residence,  the  Directive  requires  that  mobile  citizens  be  afforded  the  same  legal  remedies  as 
national citizens. 

All Member States communicated actions and institutional initiatives to inform citizens of their 
electoral rights, thus implementing those provisions of the Directive. 

Derogations where justified by a Member State's specific situation  

Article 12 of the Directive permits exceptions to the principle of equal treatment where this is 
justified  by  problems  specific  to  a  Member  State.  A  Member  State  where  the  proportion  of 
mobile EU citizens of voting age exceeds 20 % of the total electorate can require both voters 
and candidates to have a minimum period of residence. It can also take measures to modify the 
composition of the lists of candidates. It does this to better integrate non-nationals and to avoid 
polarisation between lists of ‘national’ and ‘non-national’ candidates. 

Luxembourg is the only Member State that uses this derogation. It only gives the right to vote 
to mobile EU citizens who have had their legal domicile in Luxembourg and have resided there 
at  least  5  years  before  registration.  Luxembourg  also  requires  mobile  EU  citizens  to  have 
resided  there  at  least  5  years  before  they  can  apply  to  stand  as  candidate.  Pursuant  to  the 
procedure set out in the Directive, Luxembourg communicated to the Commission its desire to 
continue  using  this  derogation.  According  to  data  provided  by  Luxembourg  authorities,  the 
number  of  non-national  EU  citizens  of  voting  age  currently  residing  in  Luxembourg  was 
159,485. The total number of EU citizens of voting age residing there was 481,358. It follows 
that the proportion between the former and the latter was 33.1%, beyond the threshold of 20% 
set by Directive. Thus, the grant of a derogation to Luxembourg is still warranted. 

3.2. Restriction of some functions to national citizens 

The Directive allows Member States to restrict a number of offices in the local administration 
to its own nationals, namely head, deputy or member of the governing college of the executive 
of a basic local government unit. This applies whether the Member State national is elected to 
hold office for an entire term or for the temporary or interim performance of the functions. 

At  the  time  of  the  last  report  in  2012,  14  Member  States19  did  not  restrict  any  office  in  their 
local administration to their own nationals, and 3 Member States20 only imposed restrictions for 
the heads of their local administration. Six Member States restricted all offices above member 
of the executive committee21, and 2 Member States adopted all permitted restrictions22. Since 

19 Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Ireland, Latvia, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, 
Slovakia, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom. 
20 Hungary, Poland and Slovenia. 
21 Belgium, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, France, Italy and Lithuania. 
22 Bulgaria and Greece. 

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that  report,  Hungary  and  Romania  have  notified  the  Commission  of  a  change  to  their 
implementing legislation which lifts the previous restrictions. 

The Commission has measured citizens’ attitudes on this issue. In a Eurobarometer and public 
consultation  conducted 
their  views. 
Eurobarometer figures show an even split on whether to grant mobile EU citizens the right to 
stand as candidates for certain executive offices in their country: 47 % think that they should 
and 48 % think that they should not. 

the  Commission  asked  citizens  for 

in  201523, 

Figure 6: Offices which can be held by EU citizens in local basic government units 

* Austria and Germany are federal republics — provisions differ by land. 

However, more than 8 out of 10 respondents (83 %) to the public consultation launched by the 
Commission in 2015 on EU citizenship thought that EU citizens living in another EU country 
should be able to become members of the executive bodies of a municipality. 

Figure  7:  Views of  citizens  —  mobile  EU citizens  should be able  to  become members  of 
the executive bodies of a municipality in their host Member State 

23 Flash Eurobarometer No 431 Electoral Rights 2015 

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3.3. Right to join or found political parties in the State of residence 

In  accordance  with  the  principle  of  non-discrimination,  EU  citizens  should  enjoy  electoral 
rights  under  the  same  conditions  as  nationals  of  the  Member  State  where  they  reside.  That 
requires, for example, access to the same appeal procedures for any omissions or errors in the 
electoral  roll  or  the  candidature  statement  or  in  the  extension  of  compulsory  voting  to  non-
nationals. The principle of non-discrimination also means that EU citizens must be able to take 
part  in  the  political  life  of  the  Member  State  of  residence  and  join  political  parties  in  their 
country of residence.   

The Commission has been in contact with the Member States and is still in dialogue with some 
Member  States  where  the  national  legislation  does  not  allow  mobile  EU  citizens  to  have  the 
same  rights  for  political  parties.  A  number  of  Member  States  have  already  amended  their 
legislation. Discussions are ongoing with others.   

3.4. ‘Basic local government units’ — defining the scope of application of the Directive 

The Directive contains an Annex  with a list of national definitions of ‘basic local government 
unit’24,  which  is  how  the  Directive  establishes  what  a  municipal  election  within  its  scope  of 
application is. The Commission has been informed by Denmark, Hungary, Ireland, the UK and 
the Netherlands25 that amendments are needed and is preparing the necessary action. 

4.  4.  ENSURING SUPPORT FOR THE EXERCISE OF VOTING RIGHTS 

Albeit  by  different  means,  many  Member  States  carry  out  activities  to  inform  mobile  EU 
citizens of their electoral rights in municipal elections26. For example, 10 Member States send 
polling cards or individual letters informing mobile EU citizens about the electoral process. Ten 
Member  States  provide  electoral  information  on  an  official  website.  Luxembourg,  Spain  and 
Malta organise campaigns specifically targeting foreign nationals to raise electoral awareness. 
Latvia  and  the  UK  have  dedicated  ‘helplines’.  Information  in  leaflets  or  the  local  press  is 
provided by five states. 

For instance, in Ireland, the local authorities in Dublin provided support to mobile EU citizens 
to  vote  at  the  2014  municipal  elections.  These  were  combined  municipal  and  European 
Parliament  elections.  They  used  various  out-of-home  advertising  and  online  information.  An 
online  campaign  targeted  all  residents  —  i.e.  Irish  and  non-Irish  —  to  get  young  people  in 
Ireland  to  register  to  vote.  Brochures  were  also  published  in  17  languages  to  explain  the 
electoral roll and systems for registration in the country. 

Some  Member  States  have  specific  practices  to  support  turnout  of  specific  groups.  In  Malta 
there  are  facilities  to  make  it  easier  for  voters  with  a  disability  to  vote,  including mobile  EU 
citizens  (braille  templates  for  the  ballot  paper,  audio  recorders  at  polling  booth,  and  voting 
instructions written and read in Maltese and English). The Local Councils Act was amended to 
enable national and mobile EU citizens residing in retirement homes to vote inside their homes 
and  patients  in  hospitals  to  vote  inside  their  hospital.  Also,  if  justified,  EU  citizens  can  cast 
their vote a week before Election Day27. 

24 Article 2(1)(a) of the Directive defines ‘basic local government unit’ as the administrative entities listed in the 
Annex. 
25 Questionnaire handed out at the Commission’s expert group on electoral matters. 
26 Source: Questionnaire handed out at the Commission’s expert group on electoral matters. 
27 They have to declare that they would be either abroad, or undergoing a medical operation, or are pregnant and 
expect delivery on Election Day. Source: Questionnaire handed out at the Commission’s expert group on electoral 
matters. 

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The  Commission  has  also  taken  specific  initiatives  to  improve  awareness  of  electoral  rights. 
This  includes  providing  information  to  EU  citizens  through  the  Your  Europe  portal,  which 
currently receives over 1.4 million visits per month28. 

Through the Rights, Equality and Citizenship Programme, the Commission has allocated a total 
of EUR 3.5 million in action grants for projects in 2014, 2016 and 2017 to foster the successful 
inclusion and participation of mobile EU citizens in their host countries, including participation 
in  municipal  elections.  The  projects  were  carried  out  by  organisations  across  the  EU  and 
reached many thousands of mobile EU citizens. . 

For  instance,  the  ‘Welcome  Europe  project’  brought  the  cities  of  Amsterdam,  Brussels, 
Copenhagen,  Dublin,  Gothenburg  and  Hamburg  together  with  universities  and  the  non-
governmental  sector.  Running  from  January  2015  to  December  2016,  the  project  sought  to 
encourage  the  exchange  of  good  practices  on  designing  ‘welcome  policies’  for  mobile  EU 
citizens. Project results were disseminated through a series of transnational conferences and the 
production of a toolkit29.  
The  project  showed  that  it  was  important  for  municipal  authorities  to  actively  inform  mobile 
EU citizens about their rights, entitlements and duties and about the practicalities of living in 
their new community. This could be done, for example, through a one-stop-shop and brochures. 
Municipal authorities’ communication channels should be made accessible to people who have 
imperfect  abilities  in  the  local  language.  Municipal  authorities  should  also  try  to  include 
representatives  of  mobile  EU  citizen  groups  in  local  advisory  bodies  and  discussion  groups. 
Finally, the local population should be encouraged to interact with mobile EU citizens living in 
the city. 

5.  5.  CONCLUSIONS 

Free  and  universal  elections  are  the  foundation  of  legitimate  democratic  governance,  and 
supporting  turnout  at  all  levels  of  power  is  a  priority.  In  its  2017  EU  citizenship  report,  the 
Commission called on the Member States to promote participation in democratic life by better 
informing citizens of their electoral rights and removing barriers to their participation. This was 
supported in the Conclusions issued by the Council of the European Union on 11 May 201730. 
The European Parliament and the Committee of the Regions are expected to adopt their opinion 
on the citizenship report in late 2017. 

EU citizens are increasingly moving and residing in other Member States. Since the previous 
two  reports,  the  population  of  mobile  EU  citizens  has  doubled,  with  around  14  million  of 
voting  age  in  2016,  but  the  levels  of  voter  registration  for  mobile  EU  citizens  in  municipal 
elections remain low. Voter turnout is an ongoing challenge for all democracies. The very low 
turnout for mobile citizens is worrying as there is a real danger that they do not exercise their 
electoral rights both in their home and host countries. This excludes them completely from any 
democratic participation. Voting is a habit which should be encouraged31. 

28 COM(2017) 30 final. 
29 The work of this project, and that of others funded through the 2014 action grant calls of the rights, equality and 
citizenship  programme,  was  recently  showcased  at  the  European  Week  of  Regions  and  Cities,  co-hosted  by  the 
Commission and the Committee of the Regions. Contributions included: the ONTHEMOVE project by the Centre 
for European Constitutional Law — Themistocles & Dimitris Tsatsos Foundation; The ‘Living Rights’ Project by 
the  Law  Centres  Network;  ACT  Active  Citizens  Together  by  the  East  of  England  and  Local  Government 
Association;  and  One-stop-shops  for  the  political  participation  of  mobile  EU  citizens  by  the  Migration  Policy 
Group. 
30 https://www.consilium.europa.eu/media/22130/st09008en17.pdf. 
31 ‘I always vote’ was reported as the number one reason for voting, according to a European Parliament study 
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/pdf/eurobarometre/2014/post/post_2014_survey_analitical_overview_en.pdf. 

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Better data collection appears necessary. More quantitative and qualitative data on mobile EU 
citizens’  awareness  and  exercise  of  political  rights  and  any  difficulties  they  experience  in 
participating in their local communities would help to address the low turn-out of mobile EU 
citizens. Data on the number of mobile citizens is often only collected at national level, not at 
regional  or  local  level.  Yet  such  regional  and  local  data  are  needed  to  assist  targeted  EU 
policymaking and raise the visibility of mobile EU citizens among local stakeholders.   

While many issues  have been  resolved, the Commission  continues to  monitor the Directive’s 
implementation and is still in dialogue with a few Member States. 

Restrictions  on  mobile  EU  citizens  holding  executive  posts  in  their  local  administrations  are 
slowly diminishing in the Member States. 

The  Commission  considers  that  Luxembourg’s  request  to  continue  its  derogation  under  the 
Directive  remains  warranted.  It  will  also  take  the  necessary  steps  to  amend  the  Annex  to  the 
Directive, updating the list of national definitions of a basic local government unit in the light 
of recent changes in some Member States. 

Getting  mobile  EU  citizens  more  involved  in  municipal  elections  and  more  broadly  in 
European political life is a challenge that requires a joint effort by the Member States, including 
their local and regional authorities, the EU institutions, civil society and political parties. This 
is essential to ensure the inclusion of mobile EU citizens in the social and political lives of their 
host communities. 

The Commission will implement the following actions: 

Better knowledge 

Looking ahead to the participation of EU citizens in municipal elections in the Member States 
and in the 2019 European elections, the Commission will run a special Eurobarometer survey 
on  democratic  participation  of  mobile  EU  citizens  in  2018.  The  aim  will  be  to  improve  the 
exercise of electoral rights and democratic standards in the Union, The Commission will seek 
to  improve  the  collection  of  regional-level  demographic  data  for  mobile  EU  citizens.  It  will 
also  task  the  network  of  academics  on  EU  citizenship  rights  to  compile  more  qualitative 
evidence  on  what  mobile  citizens’  need  to  participate  politically  in  municipal  and  European 
elections and the democratic context, and practices to support participation. 

Informing and raising awareness 

In preparation for the next European elections, the Commission will incorporate information on 
EU  citizenship  rights,  including  electoral  rights,  in  its  information  campaigns.  Awareness-
raising  activities  will  be  also  taken  to  promote  voter  registration  and  participation  of  mobile 
citizens in Member States where municipal elections are to be held32.  

The Commission will actively promote the ‘Your Europe’ portal, where EU citizens will find 
easily accessible information on the electoral formalities in their resident Member State. 

32 Municipal elections will be held in 2018 in Belgium, Hungary, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, the 
Czech Republic, the Netherlands and the UK. In 2019 they will be in Bulgaria, Greece, Ireland and Lithuania. 

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Making the voting process easier 

Making it easier for voters to register and vote is especially important. Studies show that EU 
citizens  themselves,  in  particular  those  voting  in  a  country  other  than  their  country  of 
nationality,  would  welcome  practices  making  it  easier  for  them  to  vote  in  these  elections  as 
non-nationals (e.g. individual letters, online registration on the electoral roll, etc.)33.   

Automatic  registration  of  voters,  including  through  the  network  of  Member  State  experts  in 
electoral matters will be promoted. 

A  study  on  remote  voting  (including  postal  and  e-voting)  will  be  completed  in  2018.  It  will 
consider further ways to facilitate voter registration and voting in all types of elections. 

Finally, a high-level event on democratic participation with a particular focus on encouraging 
the  participation  of  young  people  and  vulnerable  and 
increase 
best  practices 
underrepresented groups will be organised in 2018. 

to 

Engaging stakeholders 

The Commission intends to cooperate with the Committee of the Regions (through its CIVEX 
Commission34)  and  its  network  of  regional  and  local  authorities.  The  aim  is  to  promote 
activities that increase participation in political life by gathering information on the experience 
of local authorities and promoting best practices at local level. The Commission will coordinate 
this work with its network of Member State experts in electoral matters. 

The  Commission  will  address  the  issue  of  political  participation  of  mobile  EU  citizens, 
including  those  with  disabilities  or  belonging  to  minorities,  as  part  of  its  high-level  event  on 
democratic matters in 2018. The Commission also organised a workshop on ‘engendering our 
democracies’  during  its  annual  Colloquium  on  Fundamental  Rights  in  November  2017.  The 
aim  here  was  to  contribute  to  practices  to  foster  women’s  political  engagement  and  a 
commitment to greater gender equality and empowerment of women in the European elections. 

The  Commission  will  continue  to  use  the  rights,  equality  and  citizenship  programme  to  fund 
projects promoting the successful inclusion and participation of mobile EU citizens in their host 
countries,  including  participation  in  municipal  elections.  These  projects  are  carried  out  by 
organisations across the EU and reach many mobile EU citizens. 

33 See Flash Eurobarometer 430 on EU citizenship, and the 2015 public consultation for the EU citizenship report. 
34 Commission for Citizenship, Governance, Institutional and External Affairs, Committee of the Regions. 

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ANNEX 

Data tables 

Table 1.1: EU citizen registration for municipal elections* 

Member 
State 
reported 
applying 
automatic 
registration 
for 
municipal 
elections 
(Member 
State 
data) 

Member 
State 
population of 
voting age 
(aged 15+) on 
01.01.2016 
(Eurostat 
data of 2016) 

Number of 
EU citizens 
(aged 15+) 
resident in 
the Member 
State on 
01.01.2016 
(Eurostat 
data of 
2016) 

Numbers of 
EU citizens 
reported as 
entitled to 
vote in 
municipal 
elections 
(Member 
State data) 

Numbers 
of EU 
citizens 
registered 
to vote in 
municipal 
elections 
(Member 
State 
data) 

Finland           

Latvia           

Netherlands 

x 

x 

x 

Hungary            (x) 

Malta                 x 

Lithuania            x 

Denmark               x 

Ireland            

France            

Luxembourg         

Belgium                

Portugal           x  

Greece 

4 591 285 

1 668 697 

14 179 348 

8 406 037 

372 514 

2 464 811 

4 746 977 

3 687 782 

54 431 181 

481 358 

9 389 775 

8 880 498 

9 226 985 

80 608 

81 062 

81 062 

5 523 

15 452 

15 452 

405 499 

430 985 

430 985 

79 865 

14 021 

4 528 

105 061 

104 805 

14 021 

14 021 

4 870 

4 524 

168 754 

178 909 

113 773 

318 565 

323 460 

78 648 

1 328 334 

1 248 807 

279 488 

189 921 

159 485 

28 342 

744 658 

765 490 

104 683 

96 391 

180 025 

19 413 

12 992 

19 413 

Percentage 
of EU 
citizens 
(aged 15+) 
registered to 
vote in 
municipal 
elections on 
01.01.2016 
(Eurostat 
and 
Member 
State data) 

- 

- 

- 

- 

100.0 

99.9 

67.4 

24.7 

21.0 

14.9 

14.1 

Percentage 
of EU 
citizens 
registered 
to vote in 
municipal 
elections 
(Member 
State data) 

Member 
State 
voting 
population 
vs 
EU 
citizens 
voting age 
(%) 

100.0 

100.0 

100.0 

99.8 

100.0 

92.9 

63.6 

24.3 

22.4 

17.8 

13.7 

1.76 

0.33 

2.86 

0.95 

3.76 

0.18 

3.55 

8.64 

2.44 

39.46 

7.93 

1.09 

1.95 

13.5 

- 

10.8 

100.0 

* Based on Eurostat data for 2016 on population by age group, sex and citizenship [migr_pop1ctz], extracted on 
31.10.17and data provided by the Member States 

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Table 1.2 Overview of mobile EU citizen data** 

Number of 
EU citizens 
(aged 15+) 
resident in 
the Member 
State on 
01.01.2016 
(Eurostat 
data of 
2016) 

Numbers of 
EU citizens 
reported as 
entitled to 
vote in 
municipal 
elections 
(Member 
State data) 

Numbers 
of EU 
citizens 
registered 
to vote in 
municipal 
elections 
(Member 
State 
data) 

Percentage 
of EU 
citizens 
registered to 
vote in 
municipal 
elections 
(Member 
State data) 

Member State 
population of 
voting age 
(aged 15+) on 
01.01.2016 
(Eurostat 
data of 2016) 

Member 
State 
voting 
populati
on vs 
EU 
citizens 
voting 
age (%)  

Numbers of 
EU citizens 
registered to 
stand as a 
candidate in 
municipal 
elections 
(Member 
State data) 

Percentage 
of EU 
citizens 
standing for 
candidates 
elected in 
municipal 
elections 

Ireland            

Greece 

Spain             

France            

Cyprus               

Latvia           

Lithuania           

Luxembourg       

Hungary           

Malta                

Netherlands 

Country 

Belgium             

Bulgaria 

12,544 

183,497 

Czech 
Republic              
Denmark                168,754 
Germany            3,437,834 
14,188 

Estonia            

744,658 

765,490 

104,683 

14,1 

9,389,775 

6,155,578 

8,930,127 

178,909 

113,773 

67,4 

4,746,977 

1,885,464* 

318,565 

180,025 

323,460 

78,648 

19,413 

19,413 

24,7 

10,8 

1,731,468 

2,074,248 

71,294,558 

1,104,499 

3,687,782 

9,226,985 

39,414,699 

1,328,334 

1,248,807 

279,488 

21,0 

54,431,181 

Croatia              

Italy              

12,438 

1,281,928 

3,579,197 

52,383,692 

96,362 

5,523 

4,528 

15,452 

15,452 

279,8 

1,668,697 

4,870 

4,524 

2,464,811 

708,781 

13,60 

99,9 

14,9 

131,2 

100,0 

481,358 

39,46 

8,406,037 

372,514 

189,921 

159,485 

28,342 

79,865 

14,021 

105,061 

104,805 

14,021 

14,021 

405,499 

430,985 

430,985 

106 

14,179,348 

Austria             

525,361 

Poland            

Portugal          

Romania            

Slovenia           

Slovakia           

Finland           

Sweden             

United 
Kingdom     

21,898 

96,391 

46,434 

16,697 

47,747 

80,608 

265,042 

2,677,936 

12,992 

 40,846 

7,444,897 

32,258,354 

13,5 

8,880,498 

16,695,321 

1,757,798 

4,594,209 

81,062 

81,062 

100,6 

4,591,285 

8,133,874 

53,795,166 

7,93 

0,20 

2,05 

3,55 

5,33 

1,28 

8,64 

1,95 

4,39 

2,44 

0,35 

2,45 

0,33 

0,18 

0,95 

3,76 

2,86 

7,06 

0,07 

1,09 

0,28 

0,95 

1,04 

1,76 

3,26 

4,98 

65 

9,2 

1,913 

10 

5 

225 

41 

9 

20,0 

20,0 

7,6 

12,2 

22,2 

 53 

15 

419 

20,8 

*18  years  of  age  and  over  in  the  Ländern  Bayern,  Berlin,  Brandenburg,  Bremen,  Hessen,  Niedersachsen, 
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Rheinland-Pfalz, Sachsen and Sachsen-Anhalt 

** Based on Eurostat data for 2016 on population by age group, sex and citizenship [migr_pop1ctz], extracted on 
31.10.17and data provided by the Member States 

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Table 1.3 Overview of qualitative returns submitted by Member States to questionnaire 
used to prepare this report 

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