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13-04-2021 13:50
AFCO Public Hearing on the Reform of European Electoral Law - 13 April 2021

AFCO
Antall 6Q2 and via video-conference
Man casting his vote while holding his child
Man casting his vote while holding his child © EP

The election of MEPs is mainly governed by national legislation and the 1976 Electoral Act. In 2015, Parliament adopted a proposal, based on a report from AFCO, to amend the 1976 Act. The Council adopted its decision in 2018 after obtaining Parliament's consent but that decision is yet to be ratified by all Member States. It is within this context that AFCO will be drafting a new proposal for modification of the Electoral Act.

AFCO's legislative initiative report is envisaged to propose modifications to the 1976 Act concerning the election of the members of the European Parliament by direct universal suffrage with the aim of primarily enhancing the European dimension of that election. The rapporteur is Mr. Domènec Ruiz Devesa (S&D).

The public hearing is intended to provide AFCO members an opportunity to gain insight from experts in the field and discuss with them how the objectives of AFCO can be best achieved. In this regard, the following experts will participate via video-conference:

  • Professor Alberto Alemanno - Jean Monnet Professor of European Union Law Policy (HEC Paris)
  • Professor Frédérique Berrod - Professor of Public Law (Sciences Po Strasbourg)
  • Professor Marina Costa Lobo - Principal Researcher (Institute of Social Sciences of the University of Lisbon).
Mr. Jo Leinen, who was co-rapporteur for AFCO's report of 2015, will also participate.

The hearing will be webstreamed.