By Thea Pieridou
Press Officer at the European Parliament Office in Cyprus
The European elections of 2024 are now behind us. From 6 to 9 June 2024, millions of people across the European Union voted in the European elections to choose who will represent them in the European Parliament. Looking back on the elections after the results were announced, the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, said: "Democracy is alive and well and our European Parliament will be constructive and continue to work for all Europeans."
The figures revealed an estimated turnout of 51.06% across the EU. The European Parliament continues to collect and publish data as it becomes publicly available from EU Member States.
Now that the 2024 European elections are over and the provisional results are known, work has begun on the composition of the new European Parliament, the approval of the leadership of the new European Commission and the readjustment and vote on the new EU legislation.
Negotiations on the formation of political groups started after the elections and may continue until the first plenary session. To form a political group, it must be made up of at least 23 MEPs elected in at least a quarter of the member states - seven countries. To be formally recognised from 16 July, the date on which Parliament will be constituted, political groups must notify the President of their names, their political declaration and their composition by 15 July 2024.
The new parliamentary term will officially begin on Tuesday 16 July 2024. On that day, the first session of the EP plenary session will also begin, so that the elected MEPs, who will meet at the Parliament's seat in Strasbourg until Friday 19 July, can elect their Bureau (i.e. President, 14 Vice-Presidents and five Deans). Nominations for the presidency can be submitted either by a political group or by 1/20th of the MEPs, i.e. 36 MEPs. The election of the Bureau is conducted by secret ballot.
The election of the President of the European Commission will take place after the EP has been constituted. In practice, the candidate proposed by the European Council presents his or her political positions to the EP, followed by a debate. The EP elects the President of the European Commission by a majority of the MEPs who make up the EP - i.e. 361, out of a total of 720 seats. The vote is by secret ballot.
In accordance with the procedures in force, the Council, together with the (newly elected) President of the Commission, proposes the designated Commissioners. The President of the European Commission assigns each Commissioner-designate a portfolio for a specific policy area. The EP will then organise hearings for each of the Commissioners-designate to assess their suitability for the portfolios they are expected to take on. This will be followed by a vote in plenary, where MEPs will have to decide whether to approve the composition of the European Commission as a whole for a five-year term of office.
