Across Europe, people will go to the polls in early June to select their representatives in the European Parliament, with 20 seats up for grabs in Austria. 

When is the vote taking place?

Polling takes place across Austria on Sunday, June 9th.

Polling stations will generally be set up in the same places as national and local elections – usually town halls, schools and other public buildings.

Voters can choose between postal voting or physically attending an assigned polling station. A ballot card is sent to all eligible voters in the post ahead of the election.

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Who can vote?

In EU parliamentary elections, nationals of all EU countries who reside in Austria can both vote in the elections and run for office.

Nationals of non-EU countries cannot vote or run in these elections.

To be eligible to vote and run in the EU elections, you must either be eligible to vote in the Austrian general elections or be an EU national who resides in Austria. You must be 18 years old or older.

Foreign-based Austrians can also vote in EU elections in Austria if they live in another EU country (but not a non-EU country).

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How does the election work?

The system for European elections differs from most countries’ domestic polls.

MEPs are elected once every five years. Each country is allocated an MEP roughly based on its population size.

At present, there are 705 MEPs. Germany—the country in the bloc with the largest population—has the most, while Malta has the smallest number, just six.

At the last elections in 2019, France had 74 MEPs, but it has since gained an extra 5, bringing it to 79. This is partly due to the UK’s exit from the EU and some of its 73 European Parliament seats being shared among other countries.

In the run-up to the election, the Austrian political parties decide on who will be their Spitzenkandidaten (candidates heading the list) for the European parliament. These people have a high chance of being elected. The further down the list a name appears, the less likely that person is to be heading to parliament.

The Spitzenkandidaten are generally responsible for running that party’s election campaign and becoming their spokesperson on European issues. 

Once in parliament, parties usually seek to maximise their influence by joining one of the ‘blocks’, which are made up of parties from neighbouring countries that broadly share their interests and values, such as centre-left, far-right, or green.

The parliament alternates between Strasbourg and Brussels.

Why does the European Parliament matter?

Plenty of high-relevance issues—like national defence and healthcare—are still primarily decided by national parliaments. That’s likely to remain so, but the European Parliament has the power to act in a few key areas.  

It scrutinises all laws the EU’s executive—or the European Commission—proposes and can also request legislation. Plenty of recent high-profile EU laws have come at its insistence. These include the end of roaming charges in the EU and GDPR, which now sets data privacy standards around the globe.

In addition to regulations on tech and artificial intelligence, expect MEPs to debate a lot of legislation around consumer protection, food safety, certain actions on climate change and transition like the European Green Deal, trade deals, and Europe’s support for Ukraine and whether it will eventually become a member of the EU.

Since Austria is heading for a general election later this year, the EU vote and the campaigns will also serve as an important thermometer ahead of the National Council vote in autumn.

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How are the elections expected to go?

Polls show the far-right FPÖ has a sizeable lead for the European elections in Austria – and jumped to 27 percent of voting intentions from the 17.2 percent they got last time. 

This is in line with the populist right rise in Europe, where polls everywhere from Sweden to France and the Netherlands show right-wing parties having the potential to make some significant gains over their 2019 results.

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In 2019, the centre-right ÖVP got the most votes, ensuring seven seats in the EU Parliament. They were followed by the centre-left SPÖ, with five seats, then the FPÖ and the Greens, each with three, and the liberal NEOS, with one seat.