Press release no. 23/19 of 9. Mai 2019

2019 European Election: consequences of UK participation

WIESBADEN – As the date of the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union has been postponed, the UK will take part in the European elections to be held from 23 to 26 May 2019. According to the Federal Returning Officer, this will have an impact on the options of both Germans living in the United Kingdom and British citizens living in Germany to participate in the European elections.

Consequences for Germans entitled to vote who live in the United Kingdom

Germans eligible to vote who live in the United Kingdom have the following options: they can either elect European Parliament members from the United Kingdom after having their names entered in a voters’ register there or vote for candidates from the Federal Republic of Germany. However, the latter is possible only if they are on the voters’ register kept by the German municipality of their last registered main place of residence, for which they must have applied in time, that is by 5 May 2019.

Consequences for British citizens entitled to vote who live in Germany

British citizens living in Germany have the following options if they wish to participate in the European elections: they can either elect European Parliament members from the United Kingdom after having been entered in a voters’ register there or vote for candidates from the Federal Republic of Germany. To take part in the election in Germany, they must have applied for entry in the voters’ register to the municipal authority at their place of residence in Germany by 5 May 2019 or else been on the voters’ register for the European election of 1999 or a later election to the European Parliament, have permanently lived in Germany since and not filed an application for deletion from the voters’ register.

Consequences for the distribution of seats in the European Parliament

As the United Kingdom will take part in the European elections, the distribution of seats among the Member States remains unchanged. Presently, the United Kingdom is entitled to 73 seats. If the United Kingdom exits from the European Union, the elected European Parliament members from the United Kingdom will lose their seats once the withdrawal takes effect, which is laid down in the European Council decision of 28 June 2018. The total number of seats in the European Parliament would change in this event: 27 of the 73 seats to which the United Kingdom is entitled would be redistributed among 14 EU Member States which have been slightly underrepresented. After a Brexit the total number of European Parliament members would go down to 705. Germany would keep its 96 seats also after a Brexit.

For further information:

Office of the Federal Returning Officer
tel: +49 611 75-4863
www.bundeswahlleiter.de/contact