Author: Lisa Desjardins
On June 26, the ECIT Foundation brought together legal experts, voting rights advocates, and affected citizens at the Press Club Brussels Europe (and online) for a vital panel debate. Moderated by ECIT Co-Founder Suzana Carp, and timed deliberately in the run-up to the Irish Presidency of the Council of the EU, the discussion focused on a singular objective: ending the deprivation of voting rights for mobile EU citizens.
ECIT Founder Tony Venables was joined by Dr. Ruvi Ziegler (New Europeans UK) and Emma DeSouza (Voting Rights Ireland) to tackle this pressing democratic deficit.
Strategic and Legal Context: The European Commission Complaint
Backed by extensive pro-bono support from Latham & Watkins, the ECIT Foundation has submitted a formal letter of complaint to the European Commission. The complaint targets eight Member States that disenfranchise their overseas nationals either by explicit law or restrictive practice in European elections: Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Malta, and Slovakia.
Depriving EU citizens of their right to vote in critical elections is a direct threat to the health of European democracy. Our complaint is built on six core legal pillars:
- Voting rights are the core of citizenship: EU citizenship is recognized by the European Court of Justice (ECJ) as a fundamental constitutional status. Citizenship without political rights is citizenship in name only.
- Disenfranchisement undermines EU values: Universal suffrage is a founding value of the Union. The EU cannot credibly defend democracy internationally while tolerating the exclusion of millions of its own citizens at home.
- The right to democratic life: EU law guarantees citizens the right to participate in the democratic life of the Union. Member States have committed to enabling this participation, including for citizens living abroad.
- Mobility shouldn’t mean political exclusion: Citizens exercising their right to free movement should not lose their democratic rights. Freedom of movement and political participation must reinforce one another.
- Breach of sincere cooperation: European elections are a shared democratic exercise. Excluding citizens from participation while others in similar circumstances can vote undermines Treaty obligations.
- Unlawful unequal treatment: Equal treatment is a cornerstone of EU citizenship. Citizens residing in the same country should not enjoy different democratic rights solely based on their nationality.
Panel Contributions & Key Exchanges
The panel agreed unanimously that a healthy European democracy relies on linking institutions with citizens via robust participation and representation.
- Dr. Ruvi Ziegler opened by grounding the debate in Article 10(3) of the Treaties: “Every citizen shall have the right to participate in the democratic life of the Union.” He noted that while the principle of equal treatment is clear on paper, its practical implementation across member states remains deeply fragmented.
- Dr. Giulia Gentile (Essex Law School) elaborated on how democracy should be protected at the EU level. She provided a poignant perspective on de facto exclusion by sharing her personal experience as an Italian citizen in the UK, who was functionally deprived of her voting rights in the 2024 European elections due to bureaucratic barriers.
- Emma DeSouza exposed the severe limitations of Ireland’s electoral framework, which penalizes both Irish citizens living just across the border in Northern Ireland and Irish expats worldwide by stripping them of both national and European political representation.
- Tony Venables highlighted the sharp discrepancy between the critical importance of these voting rights and the reality facing advocacy groups, noting that voting rights remain one of the most underfunded sectors in European civil society.
Shifting the Invisible to Visible
The discussion highlighted a major obstacle: the lack of reliable statistics on EU citizens living outside the EU. Because disenfranchised overseas citizens are scattered, they often become an “invisible minority.” While European Commission reports point to low voter turnout among mobile citizens, these figures are based on partial data.
To bring this largely buried problem into the open, a clear, comprehensive report on the exact number of people deprived of their voting rights is urgently needed. This data will empower citizens to gather, claim their rights, and mobilize support.
We want to thank the many participants who shared their personal testimonies during the open floor.
Strategic Roadmap and Policy Priorities
In a Union built on free movement, choosing to study or work abroad should never act as a trigger for political censorship. Moving forward, ECIT has identified four key policy priorities:
- Forthcoming Research: The EU Disenfranchisement Report
Our upcoming report is at an advanced stage, mapping the specific barriers across the eight target countries. While cross-checking data for citizens living outside the EU remains a challenge, we are on track to publish the final report ahead of the ECIT Annual Conference on December 3, 2026.
2. Expanding the Legal Challenge
We are actively expanding our formal complaint to the European Commission, weaving in new arguments derived from recent ECJ case law. Our roadmap is twofold:
- The Commission Front: Gathering targeted signatures from affected citizens to compel a formal administrative response from the Commission.
- The National Front: Exploring strategic litigation within national courts to trigger preliminary references directly to the ECJ.
3. Parliamentary Engagement and Coalition-Building
We are rallying MEPs to support us in shedding light on this issue. While parliamentary schedules prevented MEPs from attending the panel live, we received numerous letters of support and apology. Our next step is pushing for a cross-party written declaration to bring disenfranchisement to the forefront of parliamentary debates.
4. Addressing the Civil Society Funding Gap
Because funding for voting rights advocacy remains scarce, a new initiative is required to fill the gap. Small, targeted grants are desperately needed to support symbolic votes, opinion polls, citizens’ assemblies, and collective appeals to bring this scattered community together.
How to Get Involved
- Read & Support Our Complaint: We are releasing a formal letter of complaint to the European Commission targeting disenfranchisement practices in European elections. Read the letter HERE.
- Share Your Experience: Whether you have been completely disenfranchised or have simply faced frustrating bureaucratic hurdles while trying to access your voting rights, your story matters. Please take a few minutes to fill out our questionnaire HERE.
- Make a Suggestion: We welcome every proposal for improving this strategy. This is a broad issue, and we value your feedback on overlooked national contexts.
How to Support Our Work
ECIT operates with a small, dedicated team turning ideas into tangible policy initiatives and civic action across Europe. To keep our campaigns independent and agile, we need your financial backing.
- For Individuals: Citizen-backed funding is what keeps our campaigns agile. Please consider supporting us through a small donation via PayPal.
- For Funding Organisations: We are currently seeking strategic partners to co-fund our upcoming EU Disenfranchisement Report. If protecting the voting rights of mobile citizens aligns with your foundation’s portfolio, reach out to us at info@ecit-foundation.eu to review our project frameworks and explore collaborative opportunities.
ECIT works at the intersection of EU citizenship law, mobility, and democratic participation. Every euro directly expands our capacity to protect the rights of mobile Europeans. Since the right to vote is a funding blind spot, even a small amount can help us continue our operations. Thank you for standing with us.