Roderich Egeler
President of the Federal Statistical Office
Press release January 20, 2009
2009 European Election: Union citizens entitled to vote also in Germany
As reported by the Federal Returning Officer, the citizens of the other 26 member states of the European Community (Union citizens) living in the Federal Republic of Germany may also participate in the European election to be held in this country on 7 June 2009.
Since the 1994 European Election, each Union citizen entitled to vote may exercise the right to vote either in the member state of residence or in the member state of origin. However, each Union citizen may exercise the right to vote only once and only personally.
All Union citizens will find the required application forms and more detailed information on the exact preconditions for being entitled to vote in Germany and the procedure of being entered into the register of voters on the website of the Federal Returning Officer under “Service for EU citizens“ at www.bundeswahlleiter.de.
The application forms will be available also from the electoral offices of the municipalities from February/March 2009.
Union citizens wishing to participate in the election of the members of the European Parliament from of the Federal Republic of Germany have to be listed in the voters’ register of the municipal authority of their place of residence in Germany.
Union citizens who were listed in a register of voters in Germany upon application or ex officio for the 2004 European Election will ex officio be entered into the voters’ register of their place of residence for the 2009 European Election. They will receive their notification by 17 May 2009.
All other Union citizens wishing to participate in the 2009 European Election in Germany have to apply for entry into the voters’ register by 17 May 2009. This also holds for Union citizens who moved to a foreign country in the meantime but now live in Germany again or filed an application for deletion from the voters’ register.
In cases of doubt the municipal authority of the place of residence will provide further information.
Union citizens wishing to elect the members of the European Parliament from their country of origin are asked to contact the competent authorities in their country of origin. The diplomatic missions of the countries of origin will provide further legal and procedural information. In this case, those who were listed in a voters’ register in Germany for the last European Election of 2004 have to file an application with the local authority of their place of residence in Germany by 17 May 2009 so as not to be listed in the register of voters.
Union citizens may also be nominated by parties and other political associations as candidates for the 2009 European Election in the Federal Republic of Germany.
For further information please contact:
Karina Schorn,
tel: (+49-611) 75-2317,
contact: www.destatis.de/contact
EU member states besides Germany:
Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom.