EU citizens will go to the polls from 6 to 9 June to elect members of the next European Parliament, but electoral rules vary significantly from country to country as some have a 5% electoral threshold, while others have none, and in some countries, even 16-year-olds can vote.

Most European countries will hold their elections on 9 June, including Croatia, but voting starts on 6 June in the Netherlands.

The following day, the Irish and the Czech will vote, while on 8 June the European Parliament elections will be held in Latvia, Malta, Slovakia, and Italy. In Czechia and Italy, the elections are held over two days.

The new European Parliament will have 720 members instead of the current 705.

Croatia is not among the countries allocated an additional 15 seats, so it will still have 12 representatives.

The minimum number of MEPs per country is six. The smallest European countries – Malta, Cyprus, and Luxembourg -have six, while Germany has the most, 96.

Citizens of 14 EU countries can vote by mail if they live abroad.

Croatia is among the eight countries whose citizens can only exercise their voting rights at the country’s diplomatic missions. In Czechia, Ireland, Malta, and Slovakia, there is no possibility of voting outside the country, while Estonia is the only country that allows electronic voting.

Voting in the European Parliament elections is mandatory in Belgium, Bulgaria, Luxembourg, and Greece.

In most countries, including Croatia, there is only one constituency for these elections. Exceptions to this are Belgium, Ireland, Italy, and Poland.

A 5% electoral threshold exists in nine countries, including Croatia. Thirteen countries have no electoral threshold. The threshold is 4% in Italy, Austria, and Sweden, 3% in Greece, and 1.8% in Cyprus.

The minimum voting age in most member states is 18. In Greece, 17-year-olds can vote, while in Belgium, Germany, Malta, and Austria, voting is allowed from the age of 16.

The minimum age for the MEP candidates ranges from 18 to 25. In 15 countries, including Croatia, the minimum age for  the candidates is 18, in nine countries, the minimum age is 21, in Romania it is 23, and in Greece and Italy 25.