Procedure

Reform of the European Electoral Act – hurdles to ratification and implementation in the Member States

2025/2028(INI)·10th term·AFCO·INI

Summary

An own-initiative report on reforming the European Electoral Act and hurdles to its ratification and implementation in the Member States. The amendments reference Article 223 TFEU on Parliament's right to initiate a uniform electoral procedure, the 1976 European Electoral Act, ratification of Council Decision 2018/994 as a national decision, the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and the balance between harmonisation and national sovereignty.

Procedure timeline

Committee amendments tabled
14 Jul 2025
Plenary vote — Adopted
20 Jan 2026 · On the motion for a resolution · the text as a whole

104

Amendments

distinct, in window

Members

tabled at least one

Committee

14 Jul 2025

Dates

Plenary votes

13 roll-call votes

In plenary, Parliament usually votes in steps: first on amendments to the text (sometimes split into parts, so Members can accept one half of a sentence and reject the other), then on the text as a whole. The “main vote” is the one that adopts or rejects the text itself. Each vote below shows exactly which step it was. How voting works →

Show the 10 earlier votes
1. 20 Jan 2026Adopted
  On paragraph 2 (part 1 of a split vote)
  Official label: § 2/1 · what was voted ↗
  645 for12 against0 abstentions62 did not vote
  For
  Against
  Abst.
  Click a group to see each Member’s position.
2. 20 Jan 2026Adopted
  On paragraph 2 (part 2 of a split vote)
  Official label: § 2/2 · what was voted ↗
  419 for193 against37 abstentions70 did not vote
  For
  Against
  Abst.
  Click a group to see each Member’s position.
3. 20 Jan 2026Rejected
  On amendment 2 · text to be inserted after paragraph 3
  Official label: Après le § 3 - Am 2 · what was voted ↗
  202 for445 against5 abstentions67 did not vote
  For
  Against
  Abst.
  Click a group to see each Member’s position.
4. 20 Jan 2026Adopted
  On paragraph 3 (part 3 of a split vote)
  Official label: § 3/3 · what was voted ↗
  379 for216 against53 abstentions71 did not vote
  For
  Against
  Abst.
  Click a group to see each Member’s position.
5. 20 Jan 2026Rejected
  On amendment 4 · text to be inserted after paragraph 5
  Official label: Après le § 5 - Am 4 · what was voted ↗
  195 for439 against8 abstentions77 did not vote
  For
  Against
  Abst.
  Click a group to see each Member’s position.
6. 20 Jan 2026Rejected
  On amendment 5 · text to be inserted after paragraph 12
  Official label: Après le § 12 - Am 5 · what was voted ↗
  198 for441 against11 abstentions69 did not vote
  For
  Against
  Abst.
  Click a group to see each Member’s position.
7. 20 Jan 2026Adopted
  On recital B
  Official label: Considérant B/2 · what was voted ↗
  427 for212 against24 abstentions56 did not vote
  For
  Against
  Abst.
  Click a group to see each Member’s position.
8. 20 Jan 2026Adopted
  On recital C
  Official label: Considérant C · what was voted ↗
  645 for14 against0 abstentions60 did not vote
  For
  Against
  Abst.
  Click a group to see each Member’s position.
9. 20 Jan 2026Adopted
  On recital F
  Official label: Considérant F/2 · what was voted ↗
  428 for204 against19 abstentions68 did not vote
  For
  Against
  Abst.
  Click a group to see each Member’s position.
10. 20 Jan 2026Adopted
  On recital G
  Official label: Considérant G · what was voted ↗
  420 for198 against43 abstentions58 did not vote
  For
  Against
  Abst.
  Click a group to see each Member’s position.
20 Jan 2026Rejected
On amendment 1 · recital H
Official label: Considérant H - Am 1 · what was voted ↗
189 for461 against12 abstentions57 did not vote
For
Against
Abst.
Click a group to see each Member’s position.
20 Jan 2026Adopted
On recital M
Official label: Considérant M · what was voted ↗
645 for8 against9 abstentions57 did not vote
For
Against
Abst.
Click a group to see each Member’s position.
20 Jan 2026Main voteAdopted
On the motion for a resolution · the text as a whole
Official label: Proposition de résolution (ensemble du texte) · what was voted ↗
417 for234 against9 abstentions59 did not vote
For
Against
Abst.
Click a group to see each Member’s position.

Vote data: HowTheyVote.eu (ODbL, attribution) / European Parliament · roll-call votes only

Plenary amendments5 tabled on this text

Amendments tabled for the plenary sitting on this text, in their own numbering series. This is a different set from the committee amendments tracked elsewhere on AmendEU, and is not counted in any of the site’s amendment totals.

Amendment 1ESNMotion for a resolution · Recital H
Current text
H. whereas ~~despite several reforms,~~ European elections are ~~still~~ mostly governed by national laws, electoral campaigning remains ~~to a large extent~~ national, and European political parties are unable to sufficiently fulfil their constitutional mandates and ‘contribute to forming European political awareness and to expressing the will of citizens of the Union’, as required by Article 10(4) TEU; whereas the recast of the regulation on the statute and funding of ~~European political parties and European~~ political ~~foundations7 has brought a level of clarity in that respect; _________________ 7 Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 1141/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 October 2014 on…~~
Amendment
H. whereas European elections are mostly governed by national laws, electoral campaigning remains national, and European political parties are composed of national political parties;
Excerpt — full text in the official PDF.
official amendment document ↗
Amendment 2ESNMotion for a resolution · Paragraph 3 a (new)
Amendment
3a. Considers that differences in the implementation of Council Decision (EU, Euratom) 2018/994 reflect legitimate constitutional choices made by Member States in accordance with their democratic processes; stresses that the absence of uniform transposition cannot be interpreted as a lack of commitment to democracy, but rather as an expression of the pluralism inherent to the Union;
official amendment document ↗
Amendment 3ESNMotion for a resolution · Paragraph 4
Current text
4. Recalls that the deadlines for finalising electoral lists ahead of European elections vary greatly among Member ~~States, currently~~ ~~ranging~~ ~~from~~ 21 ~~days~~ to 90 ~~days,~~ ~~placing~~ ~~candidates~~ ~~and~~ ~~voters~~ ~~across~~ ~~the~~ EU in an ~~unequal~~ ~~position~~ when it comes to the ~~time available to campaign or to reflect on their voting~~ ~~choice;~~
Amendment
4. Recalls that the deadlines for finalising electoral lists ahead of European elections vary greatly among Member States; underlines, however, that each Member State has a right to establish their own rules within the existing framework when it comes to the European elections;
official amendment document ↗
Amendment 4ESNMotion for a resolution · Paragraph 5 a (new)
Amendment
5a. Stresses that any measures aimed at increasing the visibility of European political parties or facilitating voting methods must fully respect Member States’ competences over electoral organisation, campaign rules and voting modalities, and must not undermine integrity, security or public trust in national electoral systems;
official amendment document ↗
Amendment 5ESNMotion for a resolution · Paragraph 12 a (new)
Amendment
12a. Emphasises that political systems and electoral regulations remain a competence of the Member States; stresses that, while Parliament can suggest harmonisation of certain regulations, it remains the sovereign decision of each EU Member State whether such a measure fits and should be implemented within its political system;
official amendment document ↗