Did you Know?
The European Parliament elections will take place between 22 and 25 May 2014. Each member state has its own electoral laws and decides on what day its citizens will go to the polls during the four-day election period: Cyprus polls will be held on Sunday 25th May 2014.
NOTE, voting is compulsory in: Belgium, Cyprus, Greece and Luxembourg.
EDC News: European Parliament Elections 2014 – Your Vote COUNTS!!!
Every five years EU citizens choose who represents them in the European Parliament and defends their interests in the EU decision-making process.
The 2014 European elections are different from previous years’ elections. Primarily, voters have the chance to influence the future political course of the European Union when they elect the 751 Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) to represent their interests for the next five years. The new political majority that emerges from the elections will also shape European legislation over the next five years in areas from the single market to civil liberties. The Parliament - the only directly elected EU institution - is now a linchpin of the European decision-making system and has an equal say with national governments on nearly all EU laws.
Elections will focus on five thematic phases (Economy, Money, Work, Europe in the world and Quality of life) that reflect the major issues and the work of Parliament and how they tie in with the new powers given to the Parliament. These new powers were established through the Lisbon Treaty 2009, which states are:
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Procedure for appointment of the European Commission - Elections will, for the first time in the EU's history, determine who leads the European Commission, the EU's executive body. Candidates for the remaining Commission portfolios will also have to pass a tough parliamentary vetting process before they can take office.
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Legislative powers - MEPs are the EU's lawmakers: without their input and approval, most EU laws cannot come into being. With the 2009 Lisbon Treaty, Parliament gained real power over the final important policy areas - notably agriculture and civil liberties - in which it only had a consultative role.
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Budgetary powers - The European Union's long-term spending budget has to be approved by national governments and MEPs, who then each year decide together how the annual budget will be spent. Policies such as agriculture, regional development, energy, transport, the environment, development aid and scientific research all receive EU funding. Parliament is also responsible for checking later if the taxpayer's money has been used as intended and for signing off the accounts if it is satisfied.
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Democratic control and supervisory powers - A basic function of any parliament is the scrutiny or oversight of other branches of power, to ensure democratic accountability.
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Foreign policy and human rights - The High Representative for the EU's common foreign and security policy (CFSP) is accountable to Parliament. The Parliament has a right to be informed and consulted about the policy and can also use its budgetary powers to shape its scale and scope. Parliament's consent is essential for any enlargement of the EU and for the conclusion of trade and other international agreements with non-EU states.
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Petitions - The EP takes the lead in promoting transparency, openness and public access in the sometimes labyrinthine Brussels world. Every European citizen has the right to petition MEPs about environmental problems, disputes with customs authorities, transfers of pension rights and other matters, provided they fall within the European Union's remit. The public can also turn to the European Ombudsman - an independent figure appointed by Parliament - who has the power to investigate accusations of maladministration or abuse of power by an EU institution.
For more information check the Parliament's powers and procedures.
Another important change that has occurred is the variation in the distribution and number of seats. Since Croatia joined in July 2013 there have been 766 Members of the European Parliament but this number is being scaled down at the 2014 elections to 751 and will stay at that level in future. Twelve Member States (Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Portugal and Romania) will each lose one seat and Germany will lose 3 seats. According to the Lisbon Treaty seats are allocated proportionally to the size of the population and, for the 2014 election, the number of MEPs ranges from six for Malta, Luxembourg, Cyprus and Estonia to 96 for Germany.
Key European Parliament electoral information and dates for Cyprus:
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Date of the European Elections in Cyprus:
Sunday, 25th May 2014
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Last date for enrolment in the Electoral List:
Wednesday, 2nd April 2014
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Date for the issuing of the Ministerial Order for the organisation of the European Elections in Cyprus:
Thursday, 17th April 2014 by Order of the Minister of Interior
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Date for the Submission of candidacy for the European Elections 2014:
Friday, 2nd May 2014
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Procedure and the conditions for the registration of voters (Greek Cypriots, Turkish Cypriots and EU citizens) in the Electoral List:
All Cypriots and EU citizens over 18 years of age, residing in Cyprus for the last 6 months prior to their application, are eligible to vote and can fill an application in order to be included in the Electoral List
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Voting centres set-up by the Republic of Cyprus abroad:
Greece (9 cities), in UK (London, Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol, Leeds) and in Brussels
For further information:
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