Preparing for the 2024 European Parliament elections with open data
Publication Date/Time
2024-05-23T10:00:00+00:00
A broad overview of the EU elections: The outgoing European Parliament
and key facts about past European Parliament elections
In the European Parliament elections, citizens have the opportunity to
choose their direct representatives at EU level in the European
Parliament [https://www.europarl.europa.eu/about-parliament/en].
Comprising Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) elected in each
EU Member State, the European Parliament is the world’s only
directly elected transnational assembly
[https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/press-room/20221118IPR55704/the-european-parliament-at-70-the-voice-of-citizens-and-democratic-values].
The number of MEPs per Member State follows a degressive
proportionality model
[https://elections.europa.eu/en/how-elections-work/] based on
population size, with a minimum of six MEPs for smaller Member States
and a maximum of ninety-six for larger ones. While candidates present
themselves in national parties, elected MEPs often align with
pan-European political parties. 

As an institution, the European Parliament, along with the Council of
the European Union [https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/council-eu/],
decides on laws proposed by the European Commission
[https://commission.europa.eu/], amending them where appropriate.
Additionally, the Parliament has the authority to elect the President
of the Commission, approve or reject the Commission as a whole and,
together with the Council of the European Union, decide on the EU
budget, based on a proposal from the Commission. 

EU elections occur every 5 years. The latest were in May 2019, with
the forthcoming scheduled for 6–9 June 2024. Featuring over
400 million eligible voters, these elections represent the second
largest democratic exercise worldwide. The integrity of free and fair
elections hinges on the ability of voters to make choices without
manipulation. The EU implements rigorous measures
[https://elections.europa.eu/en/free-fair-elections/] to combat
disinformation, cyberattacks and data breaches. In a previous data
story
[https://data.europa.eu/en/publications/datastories/leveraging-open-data-tackle-cyber-disinformation],
we explored how open data plays a crucial role in countering cyber
disinformation. 

In today’s data-driven exploration, we aim to deliver an analysis of
the European Parliament elections through the lens of open data. This
narrative serves three primary objectives: firstly, to present the
structure of the most recent legislature, detailing its composition
and the mechanisms of representation within the European Parliament;
secondly, to review voter engagement over time; and lastly, to provide
insights into the pivotal factors that are shaping the upcoming 2024
elections. Through data analysis, we seek to equip readers with a
deeper understanding of the electoral process and the critical issues
at stake, thereby fostering a more informed and engaged electorate.

 

UNDERSTANDING THE PARLIAMENTARY STRUCTURE THROUGH OPEN DATA

The majority of MEPs, elected on a national basis, affiliate
themselves with European political groups that align with their
ideological and political stances. Each political group must have a
minimum of 23 MEPs from at least one quarter of the Member States.
Some MEPs choose not to affiliate with any political group and are
referred to as non-attached members. 

The total number of MEPs for each parliamentary term is set before
each EU election, with a cap set at 750 plus the president. The
upcoming 2024 elections will see 720 MEPs elected, a rise of 15 from
previous elections. Let’s use open data to analyse the current
composition of the Parliament. Figure 1 offers an overview of the
outgoing Parliament as of April 2024. It delineates the seven
political groups
[https://www.europarl.europa.eu/about-parliament/en/organisation-and-rules/organisation/political-groups]
within the Parliament and illustrates the distribution of the total
705 seats among the parties (and non-attached MEPs). As we can see,
the three largest groups are the European People’s Party
[https://www.eppgroup.eu/], which counts 177 MEPs, the Socialists and
Democrats [https://www.socialistsanddemocrats.eu/], with 140 MEPs, and
Renew Europe [https://www.reneweuropegroup.eu/] with 102 elected
representatives. 

Germany, with a population exceeding 80 million, has elected 96 MEPs,
followed by France with approximately 68 million inhabitants and 79
MEPs, and Italy with a population of 59 million and 76 MEPs.
Interestingly, Figure 1 also indicates the gender distribution among
MEPs per Member State. We see a balanced division between female and
male MEPs in several countries, such as Denmark, Spain, France, Italy,
the Netherlands, and Sweden. Luxembourg and Finland are the two
countries with the highest percentage of female MEPs, respectively
67 % and 57 %. You can continue to explore the interactive
dashboard here [https://results.elections.europa.eu/].
[https://data.europa.eu/sites/default/files/img/media/11.EuropeanParliamentaryElections-01.png]
FIGURE 1: THE COMPOSITION OF THE OUTGOING EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AS OF
APRIL 2024, WITH A FOCUS ON THE POLITICAL PARTY AFFILIATION AND GENDER
DIVISION OF THE MEPS (_Source_: results.elections.europa.eu
[https://results.elections.europa.eu/])

 

USING OPEN DATA TO UNDERSTAND THE HISTORY OF EU ELECTIONS 

The European Parliament traces its roots
[https://www.europarl.europa.eu/factsheets/en/sheet/11/the-european-parliament-historical-background]
back to the Common Assembly of the European Coal and Steel Community.
Since 1979, its members have been directly elected, transforming it
from an assembly of appointed members to a parliament chosen by the
citizens of the EU. Initially, in the 1979–1984 term
[https://results.elections.europa.eu/en/tools/create-your-widget/],
the Parliament had 434 seats. The major parties at the time included
the Socialist Group with 124 MEPs and the Group of the European
People's Party with 117 MEPs. As the number of Member States
increased, so did the seats in the Parliament. However, in 2020, there
was a decrease in MEPs due to the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from
the EU
[https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/press-room/20200130IPR71407/redistribution-of-seats-in-the-european-parliament-after-brexit],
reducing the number from 751 to 705. Of the United Kingdom’s 73
seats, 27 were redistributed to other countries, while 46 were
reserved for future enlargements. 

Changes have not only occurred on the legislative side but also in
voter behaviour. Turnout rates vary widely between Member States and
have the power to significantly impact election outcomes. Figure 2
shows the voter turnout over the years. The highest turnout was
registered in the first European Parliament election, where more than
60% of the population voted. Although there was a slight progressive
decrease in subsequent years, 2019 saw a resurgence with around 51%
voter participation. Analyses
[https://data.europa.eu/data/datasets/-2019-post-election-survey-first-results?locale=en]
identified several key factors contributing to this resurgence, most
notably an increased awareness of the EU’s impact on daily life and
a stronger belief among citizens that their votes truly matter in
shaping EU policies. This renewed interest was also spurred by
heightened concerns about key issues such as climate change, political
stability and economic policies within the EU. Open data facilitates
analysis of this important trend. 

Shortly after the next EU elections in June, you will be able to
explore how the turnout trend has evolved but also see the results and
updated Parliament composition on the 2024 European election results
[https://results.elections.europa.eu/] website.
[https://data.europa.eu/sites/default/files/img/media/11.EuropeanParliamentaryElections-02.png]
FIGURE 2: VOTER TURNOUT FROM THE FIRST LEGISLATURE IN 1979 UP UNTIL
2019 (_Source_: data.europa.eu
[https://data.europa.eu/data/datasets/2019-european-parliament-elections-results?locale=en],
elections.europa.eu
[https://results.elections.europa.eu/en/tools/create-your-widget/]) 

 

USING OPEN DATA TO UNDERSTAND THE CURRENT ELECTIONS 

Open data not only provides insights into the past but is also
essential for forecasting the future. Just recently, the European
Parliament released the spring 2024 survey
[https://europa.eu/eurobarometer/surveys/detail/3272] following the
public trends ahead of the upcoming elections. The survey sheds light
on Europeans’ voting behaviour, their attitudes towards campaign
topics and their preferences for the priority values for the next term
of the European Parliament. It also focuses on citizens’ perception
of the European Parliament and the EU and on their perspective on life
in the EU, along with their opinions about the EU within the current
global context. 

Interest in the election, awareness of when it will take place and the
likelihood of voting are all on the rise since the previous survey in
autumn 2023 [https://europa.eu/eurobarometer/surveys/detail/3152].
Increases are even more striking in comparison to the spring 2019
survey (3 months prior to the previous EU elections). Findings also
suggest that EU citizens are very much aware of the importance of the
elections in the current geopolitical context. Figure 3 presents key
findings. Most of the respondents (60 %) are interested in the
upcoming elections, and 71% affirm that they would vote if the EU
elections were to be held the upcoming week. These findings suggest
that EU citizens are clearly aware of the significance of this
political moment. 

The demographic analysis of the results reveals intriguing patterns.
Young individuals between 15 and 24 years old display a very
favourable stance towards the European Parliament’s activities, with
over 60% supporting a more significant role for the Parliament. Across
the board, this inclination is evident among all age groups, with the
desire for the European Parliament to assume a more pivotal role
staying elevated, consistently above 50% among all age groups. 

When asked about the top priority for the EU, citizens place
‘defence and security’ (37%) as the first priority in reinforcing
the EU’s position globally, followed by ‘energy issues’ and
‘food security / agriculture’ (both with 30%). To delve into the
results in more detail, ‘defence and security’ emerges as a
leading priority for 41% of the respondents aged over 55. The younger
population instead prioritises ‘’education and research’ (with
32%), while also focusing on ‘climate action and emissions
reduction’ and ‘defence and security’ (both with around
30%)_._ 
[https://data.europa.eu/sites/default/files/img/media/11.EuropeanParliamentaryElections-03.png]
FIGURE 3: KEY RESULTS OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT SPRING 2024 SURVEY
(_Source_: https://europa.eu/eurobarometer/surveys/detail/3272
[https://europa.eu/eurobarometer/surveys/detail/3272]) 

 

CONCLUSION

The 2024 European Parliament elections, scheduled for 6–9 June,
present a crucial opportunity for EU citizens to express their
opinions, influence policies that directly impact their lives and
shape the future of the EU. Open data has enabled us to analyse the
composition of the outgoing Parliament, track the evolution of the
institution and anticipate key issues that will influence the upcoming
elections. Moreover, open data is a prime resource for exploring facts
in various domains, understanding the stakes and making informed
decisions. 

By staying informed and vigilant against disinformation, we can ensure
our choices are well-founded. Utilise open data to delve deeper into
topics of concern and stay updated on our upcoming data stories and
webinars by subscribing to our newsletter
[https://data.europa.eu/en/newsletter] and following data.europa.eu on
social media. Learn how to vote in your country
[https://elections.europa.eu/en/how-to-vote/] and check the results
shortly after the elections on the 2024 European election results
[https://results.elections.europa.eu/] website. #USEYOURVOTE 
