European Parliament elections 2014

Voting in the 2014 European Parliament elections takes place across the EU from 22 to 25 May. In the United Kingdom, voting will be on Thursday 22 May 2014.

This note gives an overview of the arrangements for the election, and looks briefly at the European political parties and political groups in the EP. The 2014 elections are the first to be held under Lisbon Treaty provisions, which gave the European Parliament greater influence over the choice of President of the European Commission.

The note also looks at the election campaign at the UK and EU-wide level and provides an outlook on the possible outcome, especially concerning voter turnout and the predicted success of anti-European and far-right parties. Finally, the note gives a summary of the post-election timeline, both in terms of the new European Parliament itself and the appointment of a new European Commission, which is set to take place in the second half of 2014.