Who Is Eligible To Vote And Run In EU Parliamentary Elections?

All residents of EU member states, who have reached 18 years of age are eligible to vote. In the case of Belgium, Luxemburg, Greece and Cyprus, residents are actually required by law to vote in EU elections.

According to the Maastricht Agreement, citizens of EU member states are permitted to cast their ballot in any member state where they have permanent residence. Additionally, citizens are also permitted to run for office in any country where they have permanent residency, even if their passport and citizenship documents are issued by another country.

This relatively liberal situation is, however, limited somewhat by the fact that several member states may require that the resident also be a registered voter in the given riding or country and have his/her name included in the electoral registry prior to elections.

In general, one is also able to run for office in EU elections outside of the candidate's home country. There have been at least five instances of such candidates winning seats in previous EU elections, including Daniel Cohn-Bendit of Germany, who won a mandate in his home country in 1994, but then moved to France and won a seat there in 1999.

The minimum age for candidates running in EU elections varies from one country to another. In Germany, Portugal, Denmark and a number of other countries, the minimum age is 18, while in the UK and Ireland it is 21 and in Italy it is 25.