the 10 facts about the elections that you need to know before voting on 9-J

The European elections are extended until this Sunday, June 9, with the vote of 21 Member Statesamong which are Spain, France or Belgium. The European Parliament elections are held over four days, between June 6 and 9, with 27 elections with a different national electoral system and results that will be global.

Voting began on June 6 in Netherlands. One day later, Ireland has gone to the polls, between the 7th and the 8th the Czech Republicand this Saturday, June 8, it is the turn of Latvia, Malta and Slovakia.

More than 370 million Europeans are called to go to the polls to renew the 720 seats of the European Parliamentthe only parliamentary chamber in the world that is elected by direct suffrage.

Five years after the previous elections, the tenth legislature begins in the European Parliament in a determining geopolitical context with EU enlargement as a priority, the invasion of Vladimir Putin in Ukraine, the possible return of donald trump in the United States and the growing influence of China in the world.

In this scenario, Parliament remembers the importance of voting on 9-J because they are “the most important elections in recent history” of the European Union. Before you go to the polls, these are the 10 facts about the European elections that should be known.

1. What do we vote for in the European elections?

Citizens of all the countries of the European Union choose this year 720 MEPs15 more than in the previous elections in 2019. Before Brexit, the European Parliament had a total of 750 seats, which is the maximum number allowed in the Treaties of the European Union, and after the departure of the United Kingdom, it was set at 705.

Spaniards who have the right to vote will directly renew 61 MEPs. Spain is the fourth country with the most seats in the European Parliament and this legislature adds two more compared to the previous 2019 elections.

2. Who and what parties do you vote for?

The Twenty-seven vote with a different national electoral system. The seats of the European Parliament are elected in each Member State and are national political parties those who present candidates in the European elections. Once the MEPs have been elected, the parties They join transnational political groups.

In the European Parliament there are seven different political formations: the European People’s Party (EPP)the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D), Renew Europethe Greens/European Free Alliance, the European Conservatives and Reformists, Identity and Democracy and The Left in the European Parliament.

3. Which group does the vote of each Spanish party go to?

He PP joins the European People’s Party and the PSOE goes to the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats, while Citizens and the PNV They join the liberals of Renew Europe and Voxin the European Conservatives and Reformists.

In the case of the left-wing parties, both the coalition Now Republics as Add They are divided into two different formations. In the case of the first, BNG and CKD they land in the Greens/European Free Alliance.

However, EH Bildu joins La Izquierda, like Sumar and Izquierda Unida. For their part, Compromís or Más Madrid are part of the Greens/European Free Alliance group.

As occurred in the previous legislature, Can will go on the Left and, predictably, Together will remain in the group of non-registered members of the European hemicycle.

4. The main Spanish candidates for the European Championships

Spain’s candidates for the European elections have names that they repeat at the head of the list, such as Dolors Monserrat for the PP, while the PSOE’s bet is the third vice president and minister of Ecological Transition, Teresa Ribera.

Vox also repeats its candidacy for the European elections with Jorge Buxadé. On the left, Sumar attends the elections for the first time with Estrella Galan and Podemos has chosen the former Minister of Equality as head of the list Irene Montero.

Within the secessionist parties, the bets for the European ones are also repeated. Diana Riba (ERC) is the head of the list of the Ahora Repúblicas coalition.

For its part, Junts promotes Toni Cominwhile the PNV renews its bet with Oihane Agirregoitia and Ciudadanos has as a candidate Jordi Canas.

5. What happens after 9-J

From June 10, the European Parliament groups will begin to form and the new legislature will begin July 16 with a first plenary session in Strasbourg (France) until July 19. Here the president of the European Parliamentto the fourteen vice-presidents and five quaestors, the permanent commissions and subcommittees.

Between September 16 and 19, there will be a session in the European Parliament to vote on president of the European Commission, which will have to receive candidates for commissioners from all countries. They are assigned portfolios and are chosen after passing a European Parliament hearing between October and November. For its part, the new president of the European Council He will take office expectedly on December 1.

6. How does Parliament influence legislation?

The European Parliament does not have a legislative initiative, but rather proposes amendments based on the proposals that you receive from the European Commission. Once these two institutions reach their respective negotiating position, they meet to agree on the final form of directives, regulations and different types of European legislation.

53% of the laws approved in Spain between 2019 and 2024 They derive from guidelines and decisions of the European Parliament. According to an analysis by the European Parliament, there are regulations related to family conciliation, waste and the impact of plastics, the railway sector, CAP managementthe Audiovisual Communication Law or measures applied by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

7. The institutions that the European Union has

The European election vote designates the new formation of the European Parliamentwhich influences the rest of the institutions, such as the new European Commission and the senior officials agreed upon with the European Council.

The European Union has four main institutions that are Parliament, Commission, Council (ministers of the Member States) and the European Council (the leaders of the Twenty-seven). In addition, there are other important bodies in Europe such as the Court of Justice of the European Unionthe European Central Bank and the EU Court of Auditors and relevant positions such as the High Representative of the Union.

8. The minimum age to vote

Each Member State allows young people to vote based on their state rules. In countries like Austria, Belgium or Malta can vote from the age of 16 in the European elections.

A minimum age is also established to be eligible to be a candidate of a political group for the European elections. In most of the Twenty-seven it is 18 years, while in others it is 21 years. For its part, Romania requires you to be at least 23 years old and Greece and Italy, 25 years.

9. The minimum voting percentage in some countries

In the case of Spain, a minimum percentage of votes is not required. to enter the European Parliamentalthough in other Member States it is required.

These are countries like France, Czech Republic or Polandwhich put it at 5%, while in Austria or Italy is 4%, in Greece stands at 3% and Cyprus by 1.8%.

10. How many MEPs are elected per country?

The minimum number of MEPs per country is six and the maximum is 96. Precisely, the latter is the number of MEPs that Germany will hold in the tenth legislature of Parliament.

It is followed by France with 81 seats, Italy (76), Spain (61)Poland (53), Romania (33), Netherlands (31), Belgium (22), Greece (21), Czech Republic (21), Sweden (21), Portugal (21), Hungary (21), Austria ( 20), Bulgaria (17), Denmark (15), Finland (15), Slovakia (15), Ireland (14), Croatia (12), Lithuania (11), Slovenia (9), Latvia (9), Estonia ( 7), Cyprus (6), Luxembourg (6) and Malta (6).