The EP elections since 1979

On June 6, Maltese voters will be called to vote in the European Parliament elections for the second time since Malta joined the EU. But for some countries this will be the seventh EP election.

The first direct elections for the European Parliament were held exactly 30 years ago - on 7 and 10 June 1979, when 410 MEPs were elected. Since then, another five European elections have taken place in 1984, 1989, 1994, 1999 and 2004. Before that, from 1958 to 1979, MEPs were appointed by the national parliaments of the Member States, all Members having a dual mandate.

Elections were always organised in new member states after each enlargement in order to allow them to elect their own representatives to the European Parliament. This was the case for Greece in 1981, for Portugal and Spain in 1987, Sweden in 1995, Austria and Finland in 1996, and Bulgaria and Romania in 2007.

Falling Turnout

The turnout in the European elections since 1979 has varied significantly from one Member State to another. At the last elections, in 2004, there was an increase in turnout in five countries which do not have compulsory voting - Italy, Netherlands, Ireland, United Kingdom and Finland. In 2004, turnout was very low in most of the countries that had just joined the European Union. The turnout in Malta was 82.39 percent, the highest among the countries where turnout is not compulsory.

Evolution of turnout rates in the Member States, 1979-2007:

*In Belgium, Luxembourg, Greece, and Cyprus voting is compulsory.

**In Italy voting was compulsory until 1992