Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 9 May 2023
338. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if Ireland has taken a position at an EU-level on the proposed date for the next European elections; and if Ireland has expressed a preference for 23 to 26 May 2024 or 6 to 9 June 2024. [21406/23]
View answerThe procedure for fixing the election period in respect of elections to the European Parliament is set out in the European Union's Electoral Act of 1976 (i.e. the Act concerning the election of the representatives of the European Parliament by direct universal suffrage, annexed to Decision 76/787/ECSE, EEC, Euratom) and, in accordance with that Act, the 2024 elections would be due to be held in the period 6-9 June 2024.
The European Union's Electoral Act of 1976 also makes provision to change the period for the European Parliament elections should it prove impossible to hold the elections during the default period in question. In very broad terms, the dates may be revised to a period not more than two months before or one month after the default period.
In the event that Member States opt to change the normally applicable dates of 6-9 June 2024, the deadline for doing so is one year before the end of the European Parliament's five-year term. The new electoral period would therefore have to be fixed by the end of June 2023 at the latest.
As matters currently stand, fixing the election period for the next European Parliament elections in 2024 is the subject of ongoing discussions at the Working Party on General Affairs. A number of alternative dates have recently been proposed for the months of May and June 2024 and the Swedish Presidency has requested Member States to provide feedback on the various options. In this context, Ireland has signalled its preference for the default dates (i.e. 6-9 June 2024).
