The Member States are the masters of the European Union’s Treaties

On Tuesday, the European Parliament voted in favour of the report on the election of its members by direct universal suffrage. According to Fidesz MEP László Trócsányi, the Devesa Report makes ideological demands instead of proposals to adjust EU electoral standards.

The EP is not the bearer of sovereignty, the Member States are the masters of the EU’s founding Treaties, MEP Trócsányi said. “The EU institutions are specific entities, but they are not a federal state. The adoption of the proposal for a transnational list would be a step towards centralisation, the losers of which would be the small and medium-sized Member States, and therefore the Fidesz EP delegation cannot support the report”, he added.

According to MEP László Trócsányi, it is not a well-thought-out proposal, as it would introduce the transnational list on an experimental basis for only 28 MEPs. The existence of a European Electoral Authority, which would also have the power to exercise ideological control over political parties, would strengthen EU bureaucracy and endanger democracy. “Welcome elements in the report are that the text highlights the lack of representation of national minorities in the EP and that it would help to remove barriers to the participation of people with disabilities in elections”, MEP Trócsányi said.