Today, September 26, at its regular plenary session in Strasbourg, the European Parliament voted amendments to the Council Directive 93/109/EC of 6 December 1993 laying down detailed arrangements for the exercise of the right to vote and stand as a candidate in the elections to the European Parliament for citizens of the Union residing in a member state of which they are not nationals. The amendments give equal right to all citizens of the European Union, whether born or living in it, or in a third country, to take part in the elections for European Parliament.
MEP Filiz Hyusmenova commented that this directive amendment proves the correct policy of the MRF that as European citizens all Bulgarians have the right to vote, no matter whether they live in the country or not. The opposite would be waiving their basic civil right. The European Union pursues a consistent policy of implementing its goals to protect the citizens’ basic rights. The liberal party Movement for Rights and Freedoms has been aware of the shortcomings in the acting law of the European Union already prior to the elections for European Parliament in Bulgaria. That is why it welcomes this act of establishing real democracy in all Community member states.
As an acting normative document of the European Union, the Directive binds the member states to the results they must achieve and lets national authorities choose the forms and ways of doing this. In this sense, the Directive requires that Bulgaria too must take steps to change existing legislation. The amendments envisage for the EU institutions to monitor the right of European citizens residing in third countries to vote and stand as a candidate.